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THE 



RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



OF 



BODY AND MIND 



CONSIDERED 



AS IT AFFECTS THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF 



EDUCATION— PHRENOLOGY— MATERIALISM— MORAL ADVANCEMENT 
AND RESPONSIBILITY— MAN'S FREE AGENCY— 
THE THEORY OF LIFE— THE PECULIARITIES OF MENTAL PROPERTY- 
MENTAL DISEASES— THE AGENCY OF* MIND UPON THE BODY— 
OF PHYSICAL TEMPERAMENT UPON THE MANIFESTATIONS OF MIND 
AND UPON THE EXPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS FEELING. 



BY 



W. NEWNHAM, ESQ., M.R.S.L. 



LONDON: 

J. HATCHARD AND SON, 187, PICCADILLY 

AND J. CHURCHILL, PRINCES STREET, SOHO. 

1842. 



C v 0° 



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^6 



LONDON : 
PRINTED BY G. J. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND. 



PREFACE, 



In placing his volume before the tribunal of the 
public, the author would confess that he is per- 
fectly conscious of its containing some defective 
points in argument, —some reasoning which might 
be better illustrated, — some subjects which as yet 
cannot be developed beyond a certain extent, or 
which require a larger experience, — and some in- 
stances of repetition which might have been 
avoided. But he is fain to crave a degree of 
indulgence on the ground of the nature of his 
subject, — of its being greatly an unexplored tract, 
and containing much of the " terra incognita ;" — 
and of his own active professional duties, which 
have crowded his literary labours into a very late 
hour of the night, and which have occasioned fre- 
quent interruptions of a most harassing character. 
Yet he would hope that notwithstanding these dif- 
ficulties and imperfections, some steps in advance 
have been taken towards exploring that most im- 
portant Subject, THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE OF 
BODY AND MIND. 

Farnham, Feb, 12, 1842. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF THE SUBJECT. Page 1 



v »" 



Argument. — Necessity for attending first to the natural healthy 
agency of the organ of mind, upon its mental manifestations, before 
we can understand the deviations from its physiological condition. 
Mind, as exhibited in man, has no means of receiving notices from 
without, or of communicating its own actions, except through a mate- 
rial medium : — this medium is the brain — so that the operations of 
mind may be influenced by the health or disease of the body 
generally, and by original peculiarities of the brain : but the mind, 
soul, or spiritual principle is the supreme governor. The little at- 
tention bestowed upon this important subject arises probably from 
our ignorance of the immediate agency of mind. The primary ob- 
ject of this investigation is to study the varied phenomena of mind, 
as manifested through its organ : — thus the inquiry becomes strictly 
an inductive one, in which we trace how spiritual emotion and 
external impression are distinctly characterized by the organ through 
which they are given out or received. Influence of these views 
upon the objects and prospects of education : — the brain requires 
cultivation to render it a fit instrument for mental developement. 
Distinction between mental and organic life ; — the latter fulfils its 
functions without education. Each individual among men possesses 
a natural character conferred by physical temperament, which can- 
not be wholly obliterated by any effort of presiding mind, but which, 
on the contrary, gives a tinge to all its actions : — this natural cha- 
racter may, however, be controlled by, and therefore demands the 
exercise of, moral principle, so as to render the mind always superior 
to the impulse of bodily passion. 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER II. 



RECIPROCITY OF BODILY AND MENTAL INFLUENCE APPLIED 

to education. — Page 8. 

Argument. — Education must proceed : — importance of giving it a 
right direction under sanction of the highest moral principle, and 
also of clearty appreciating its subject, in the compound nature of 
man, in order that principle- may be judiciously and successfully 
inwrought into the character : — present rapid progress of mental 
developement fostered by public opinion. The constantly widening 
sphere of the advances of mind over matter chiefly dependent upon 
the laws of habit and association, and increasingly-graduated exer- 
tions, which, originating with the former, are permanently enstamped 
upon the latter, and renders it capable of fulfilling the behests of 
the governing principle. Man's power of acquisition limited : — he 
does not fulfil the design of his creation, and is under the power of 
some perverting agency, the multiform effects of which, unless con- 
trolled or superseded by moral and religious motive, are variously 
shown in different individuals, according to the more or less perfect 
state of -the organ of mind, and its original peculiarities. Import- 
ance of attending to the health, and cultivating the growth of the 
brain, concurrently with the moral and intellectual education, that 
it may perform its legitimate functions as the obedient servant of 
mind, and thus promote the free agency of man. Powerful in- 
fluence of opinion upon man's conduct : — advantage to be taken of 
the stimulus it has afforded to education, by giving the latter a bene- 
ficial direction. To this end, individual peculiarity is to be studied, 
and encouraged or repressed according to its good or evil tendency. 
Man is a free agent, and minutely responsible for all his actions ; 
but his free agency may be impaired by defective or neglected 
education, without diminishing his accountability. Paramount im- 
portance of early education of the brain : — quiescence, and excessive 
employment of that organ equally dangerous : — illustrations, and 
cautions on this subject : — progression being the physiological law 
of man's nature, can only be accomplished adequately by gradually- 
increased exertion of the brain. Sympathetic association of the 
brain with other organs and functions of the body, particularly with 
the stomach — cruel abuse of this organ — its proper subjection to the 
brain, as the organ of intellectual and moral manifestation. The 




TABLE OF CONTENTS. Vll 

success of education depends upon the adaptation of its means to 
the individual differences of the organ of mind, and these are not 
to be discovered by any arbitrary laws of physiognomy, phrenology, 
&c. &c, but by the rational study of character. Education incom- 
plete, unless based upon the sanctions of revealed religion, and the 
prejudices of the young must be secured in favour of religion and 
virtue. -What is genius ? — A state dependent upon an unknown 
and peculiar condition of the cerebral organ. 



CHAPTER III. 

ON PHRENOLOGY IN CONNEXION WITH THE GENERAL 

subject. — Page 43. 

Argument. — Phrenology not of practical importance in the present 
discussion, provided that the organ, whether single or multiple, be 
held in entire subjection to the presiding mind ; but as truth is in- 
valuable, the question merits consideration as a scientific inquiry ; 
truth, therefore, should be the single object of our investigation, 
and the errors and follies of the votaries of phrenology should be 
separated from the doctrine. Phrenology not fully borne out by 
observation : — its doctrines here defined do not necessarily lead to 
materialism or irresponsibility, but, as frequently held, they possess a 
demoralising tendency, 'and form a stronghold of Socialism. Ten- 
dency of phrenology a proper object of scientific inquiry ; and its 
being shown to militate against truth derived from other sources, 
and to conduct to moral error, is a valid argument against its accu- 
racy. The lower . animals possess mind in differing degrees, 
always manifested through the brain, its appointed organ ; the 
organisation of each exquisitely fitted to their respective destinies. 
But man possesses a spiritual principle superadded to animal mind ; 
his brain, therefore, is more developed; but the function of mind is 
not to be confounded with its- organ ; neither is the activity or in- 
tegrity of the former dependent upon the size of the latter. Instinct 
is knowledge imparted prior to education : — man has few instincts 
compared with the lower animals, because of his intellectual and 
spiritual endowments. Brain is equally and essentially requisite to 
exhibit the highest reach of thought in man, as to manifest the 
automatic actions of mere instinct. Peculiarities of spiritual expres- 
sion not dependent upon the quantum of brain, nor upon any de- 
monstrable property of nervous fibre ; perfection of sensation and 



Vlll TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

high mental developement not necessarily coincident, neither great 
bodily and mental power ; aptitude for thought in every form is 
the result of some undefinable peculiarities of cerebral fibre. Ori- 
ginal differences of mental constitution exist from infancy, yet are 
not traceable to organisation only ; the converse is likewise true ; 
and both may be modified by education. Slow developement of 
intellectual and moral faculties as compared with that of sensation 
and passion, a proof of some perverting change having passed upon 
the brain as the organ of mind. A variety of spiritual, vital, phy- 
sical, and medicinal agencies shown to operate upon the brain, and 
to produce changes of mental manifestation. Though no attribute 
of mind is manifested without the intervention of the brain and 
nervous system, yet itis as illogical to infer the necessity for its atomic 
division into many special organs for the developement of each 
faculty, as to assert that the sentient principle resides in the ex- 
tremity of each nerve. Review of the arguments for and against 
the phrenological hypothesis, and its pretensions shown to be of a 
very doubtful nature, if not utterly untenable. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ON MATERIALISM : ITS REAL BEARING, AND THE PRESENT 
DISCUSSION SHOWN TO HAVE NO TENDENCY TO THIS DOC- 
TRINE. — Page 85. 

Argument. — The preceding views neither tend to materialism nor 
to a mysterious spiritual agency insusceptible of proof. The former 
objection examined; the charge, if true, equally applicable to a 
single undivided, as to a plural compounded, brain. Daily expe- 
rience proves the manifestations of mind to be influenced by dif- 
ferent states of the body, but especially of the brain; yet this 
known, and vitally-important fact, is too much unheeded. Injury 
to the brain does affect the manifestations of mind ; the contrary 
supposition shown to be erroneous. The organic medium, the 
brain, is not to be confounded with the originating spiritual princi- 
ple ; and as the instrument of thought and feeling, it is now im- 
perfect, and exhibits its perverted and debased tendencies. The 
integrity of the brain and nervous system indispensable to secure 
perfection of mental expression, consequently every degree of 
deviation from primordial excellence will give a corresponding 
tinge to spiritual manifestation, and will more especially exert its 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX 

influence on the function of volition. Distinction between the mere 
act of wishing and mental volition. The question of the materiality 
of the soul, not so all-important as has been generally considered' 
provided there be always a recognized and essential distinction be- 
tween the spiritual soul and its mere organ, the brain. Immortality 
not necessarily dependent upon immateriality, though we believe the 
soul to be immaterial, because it is destitute of any of the Mown 
properties of matter, and is a principle superadded to, not inherent 
in, brain, being found only in man, because he alone is a moral 
and religious creature. The immateriality of the soul not more 
incomprehensible or mysterious than the commonest physiological 
and physical phenomena. Some of the principal objections ex- 
amined, and found to lead to absurd conclusions, while the imma- 
terial doctrine alone fulfils the conditions of the strictest inductive 
philosophy. Animal mind not to be confounded with the super- 
added moral principle in man. Fallacy of the attempt to prove 
thought and animal desire as originating from the same sources, 
whereas they are essentially distinct. Moral motive cannot origi- 
nate from the structure upon which it acts ; and as this organic 
structure is similar in its nature to that of other animals, it can 
only be regarded as a distinct, independent, and controlling prin- 
ciple. Other objections stated, and refuted ; their absurdity. 
Since the manifestations of mind do not originate in the brain, it 
follows that the destruction of the soul is not necessarily coincident 
with the dissolution of the body. The scriptural revelation of the 
resurrection of the body, and future expansion and perfection of 
mind, perfectly coincides with the researches of modern science, 
and with sound metaphysical investigation. These views are by no 
means extravagant, but the result of sober deduction. Analogous 
illustrations from the transformations of vegetable, insect, and 
animal life ; the properties of chemical compounds are generally 
essentially different from their simpler elements, and arise from their 
new combination — analogies bearing on the subject in discussion^ 
Other objections against the immateriality of the soul examined. 
Personal identity not dependent upon any material condition, but 
resulting exclusively from the immaterial spirit, and is, in fact, its 
own consciousness of continued existence. The doctrine of the 
immateriality of the soul does not deprive it of active properties, but 
ascribes to it the most energetic powers, while it demonstrates the 
absence of material properties : it is, therefore, not subject to the 
laws of matter, and can only act in obedience to certain spiritual 
laws, originally constituted by an all- wise Creator. Ignorance of 



£ TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

the nature and essence of spiritual existence no valid argument 
against its reality. Exposure of arguments against this doctrine, 
founded upon the most unwarrantable and gratuitous assumptions. 
Mind is discoverable by its effects alone, — and its origin and opera- 
tion, however mysterious, are not more inscrutable than physical 
agency, in any, and in all its diversified forms. The assertion of a 
perceptible motion about the brain in thought is not founded in 
fact; and even if it were true, it would not militate against the 
theory of an immaterial and governing precipient. Renewed cau- 
tions against confounding organ and function. Proofs of an inde- 
pendent presiding spirit, derived from certain mental processes — in- 
tellectual, moral, and religious. The same truth proved by the 
total or partial absence of these properties, in reverie, dreaming, in- 
toxication, delirium, &c, in which the self-actings of organic and 
animal excitement are alone manifested. And again, in extreme 
cases of religious conversion, and in the ordinary processes of 
education. The possession of a greater number and higher range 
of instincts in animals generally over man, an argument in favour of 
his being endowed with a superadded and compensating principle, 
the immaterial soul, by which he attains knowledge and reason. 
This still further proved by the universal existence of individual 
consciousness of an interior self; the le moi of sceptical, the soul of 
christian, philosophers ; — and again, the consciousness that the dis- 
solution of the body is not coincident with the extinction of the 
indwelling spirit; and, lastly, the instinctive desire after immor- 
tality — a feeling essentially distinct from the love of life possessed 
by man in common with other animals. Some mistakes relative to 
the progressive developement of mind, as connected with the growth 
of the body. The anomalously wretched condition of man, in the 
midst of a creation, where good so immensely preponderates, indi- 
cates that some awfully perverting cause has interfered with regard 
to him j and, also, in order to vindicate the revealed character of 
God, the necessity for some other state of existence after the disso- 
lution of the body, and the separation of the spirit from its present 
material tenement. Existing mental phenomena, and especially the 
obstacles in the way of intellectual advancement, another proof of 
the immateriality of mind ; so also the moral condition of man ; the 
tendency to evil rather than good is a point of deviation from 
original design, and demonstrates the necessity of future existence 
under widely- different circumstances. Some remarks on the pecu- 
liar nature of man, showing the necessity for a future state, and the 
consequent immateriality and immortality of the soul. 






TABLE OF CONTENTS. XI 



CHAPTER V. 



ON THE ESSENTIAL LAW OF PROGRESSION ENSTAMPED UPON 
THE CHARACTER OF INTELLECTUAL MAN. Page 164. 

Argument. — Increasing attention bestowed upon the subject of 
education; its resulting display of augmented intelligence; from 
the constitution of the human mind this will be progressive. Has 
not been productive of unmixed good; it will be useful or mis- 
chievous, in proportion as those who preside over its agency are 
imbued with just opinions of its immediate object and ultimate 
destination. Necessity for taking enlarged views of the object, as 
well as of the subject of mental developement. Man is not to be 
treated as an automaton, or a simple animal, or a purely spiritual 
being ; the manifestations of his mind can only be recognized 
through the medium of bodily organization, and are liable to a 
variety of modifications dependent thereon : but the organic medium 
must never be confounded with the interior spiritual essence. The 
desideratum is to carry onward the developement and expansion of 
every mental faculty, consistently with due attention to the health of 
the body, and with a view to the ultimate restoration of man to his 
high and holy origin. Importance of attentively watching and 
directing the successive developement of passion, intellect, and moral 
and religious feeling, in pursuance of this design. Mental improve- 
ment should always have reference to the final developement of 
spiritual life : and to this end, the affections must be studied ; and 
their manifesting organs, which are subjected to the common law of 
animal life, must be exercised and improved. Constant ameliora- 
tion and progressive improvement to be sedulously pursued, and 
this mental growth possesses a reproductive agency, infinitely more 
operative than the analogous powers of animal and vegetable life. 
This object can only be fully accomplished by the education of prin- 
ciple, which must be everywhere pre-eminent, and therefore can be 
found only in religion, or the pure precepts and motives of genuine 
Christianity. Happiness and pleasure are not identical : the former 
will be possessed in largest measure by him who has the most ex- 
panded intellect, applied to the benefit of his fellow men, and 
devoted to the service of his Maker. Reason, imagination, and 
experience, are inadequate to guide men to the sure attainment of 
real happiness, unless combined with, and controlled by, religious 



XII TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

principle. This dominant principle must not depend for support 
upon the maxims of expediency, nor upon the hope of any selfish 
enjoyment, however refined, but upon a system of duty, a faithful 
obedience to the declared will of God. Religion alone is able to 
give preponderance to man's better tendencies, and to ensure pro- 
gressive amelioration. Human perfection consists in the resem- 
blance of man to the moral attributes of his Maker and Designer. 
Man, as he now exists, the only anomalous imperfection with which 
we are acquainted. He must be taught to imitate the divine perfec- 
tions, and these being marked by regularity, beauty, and utility, his 
mental and moral developement should be similarly characterised. 
Definition and explanation of these attributes, and the necessity for 
their entire combination to form the character of human perfection. 
Obstacles arising from the union of mind with matter — from the 
influence of society — from individual idiosyncracies — and from 
inadequate methods of instruction. Importance of mental deve- 
lopement in its bearing upon religious belief. The faculty of the 
will considered ; mistaken views generally entertained ; it is, when 
unimpaired, the result of sound judgment and correct reasoning j and 
therefore perfectly free to choose, but liable to be influenced in its 
decisions by the condition of the brain and nervous system. Para- 
mount importance of the will in the spiritual economy of man : 
rules for the guidance of this faculty, and cautions to be observed 
in its developement and cultivation. The will is influenced to 
action by motives j these must appeal to the understanding and the 
conscience, enlightened by, and dependent upon, religious principle. 
In man's present fallen and probationary condition, the design of 
the Almighty Creator is very manifest, viz. uniform progression 
towards moral good, and this must form the first object of the 
good man's desire. Rigid discipline is to be enforced in early 
life, without impairing the decision of character ; it must teach 
the power to choose, the obligation to obey. Importance of 
distinguishing the effects of idiosyncracy and education in the 
formation of habits of mind, and of rightly adapting the mode of 
treatment accordingly. Regularity of exercise indispensable to 
success. Too great excitation to be carefully avoided, on account 
of its consequent disastrous re-action. Benevolence of feeling will 
strengthen intellectual capacity. The faculty of imagination re- 
quires careful developement, since it exercises a peculiar influence 
upon the moral manifestations of mind. Application of the prin- 
ciple of progressive improvement to the christian character ; its 
perfection is personal purity, and entire conformity to the will of 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xlll 

God. Peculiar difficulties in this christian progression, from the 
perverted and corrupted state of man ; his responsibility not there- 
fore lessened, since the way of access to original holiness is revealed 
to him in the pages of revelation, with the unconditional promise 
of the Holy Spirit to instruct, to guide, to strengthen, and support 
him in the pursuit of all truth. Importance of the faculty of imita- 
tion in the formation of character ; the Christian must avail himself 
of this truth, and apply it to its fullest extent, by continual refer- 
ence to the perfect example of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ; and therefore his conduct through life will be prominently 
characterised by consistency, beauty, and utility. Injury occasioned 
to religion by a neglect of these principles on the part of its pro- 
fessors ; cautions and directions on this subject ; — on the man- 
nerism of the Christian, and on the mode of communicating religious 
truth : finally, habitual self-examination indispensable to the Chris- 
tian. 



CHAPTER VI. 

ON THE THEORY OF LIFE ; THE UNPHILOSOPHICAL NATURE 
OF THE INFIDEL VIEWS CONNECTED WITH THIS HIDDEN 

subject. — Page 235. 

Argument. — Unsatisfactory knowledge as to what constitutes life; 
its influence upon mental phenomena. Life is a principle super- 
added to, and united with, matter ; but, like many other first prin- 
ciples, is only cognisable by its effects. It is not the " sum total 
of functions," since it exists in the absence of sensible pheno- 
mena; and it is called forth on the application of the appropriate 
stimuli : suspended animation from drowning, &c. Neither is life 
the result of organisation, nor constituted by its own functions. 
Examination of Sir C. Morgan's hypotheses and inferences — shown 
to be unfounded in fact, and unphilosophical and unchristian in 
application. The origin of evil is enveloped in mystery, but bene- 
ficence clearly characterises the works of the Almighty, especially 
those with which we are best acquainted. Inquiry into the pheno- 
mena of life, as exhibited in its origin ; this origin, when traced to 
its source, is found to be derived from the immediate fiat of the 
Creator, and is lost in the mysteries of creation. The successive 
developement of vital function traced in vegetables, animals, and 
man, in his several stages of growth. The assertion, that the moral 



XIV TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

constitution varies with the physical structure, possesses only a 
semblance of truth ; its erroneous tendency exposed, and the true 
relation between these states pointed out. The principle of life is 
not the determining cause of the phenomena manifested in the 
world, but the commissioned agent of a superintending Ruler. 
Examination of the chemical, mechanical, mathematical, and doc- 
trinal theories of life, showing their insufficiency to explain its phe- 
nomena. Nervous inflnence, though indispensable to the conti- 
nuance of the animal functions, is not life, but one of its effects. 
The phenomena of life are only explicable or intelligible by calling 
in the aid of a new and peculiar property, inseparable from itself, 
and which is, in fact, one of nature's primordial laws. Influence of 
life on the manifestations of mind ; man possesses spiritual as well 
as animal life, in the characteristics of which there is an essential 
difference; the latter being perfect from its origin, whilst the 
former is continually progressive, and survives and is immeasurably 
expanded after the extinction of its animal companion. Distinction 
between sensation and passion, as the direct or reflex action to and 
from the brain, the organ of spiritual manifestation. Influence of 
the passions upon animal life generally, and upon some of the 
interior organs in particular ; their reflex morbid or healthy action 
on the brain, and through it upon the manifestations of mind. Ex- 
cessive mental emotion is directly or remotely subversive of animal 
life; and this destructive influence is specially exerted upon the 
heart. Mode of operation described, illustrated, and explained. 
Immense influence of sympathetic action, mental or physical, upon 
the integrity of the animal frame. Constitutional predisposition to 
be controlled by mental principle and christian motive. Indivi- 
duality of character mainly dependent upon the degree of subjection 
of the appetites and passions to the presiding mind. Observations 
on approaching dissolution, particularly shown by the decay of 
the senses ; prolongation of the sense of taste, — state of the brain in 
approaching death; exposition of erroneous notions entertained 
relative to the expansion of spiritual manifestation, as life is ter- 
minating ; the grand source of error consists in confounding mind 
itself with its manifestations : the brain is not exempted from the 
general physiological laws of organic decay. Further inquiry into 
the immediate causes of death; these may be accelerated or re- 
tarded by the neglect or providence of the individual. The organs 
of interior life are not directly acted upon by the passions, but 
secondarily, through the medium of the brain and nervous system. 
Examination of Bichat's opposite hypothesis ; and the heart shown 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV 

not to be the seat of emotion. The preceding views illustrated by 
the influence of the brain upon the lungs in the function of respira- 
tion. All the other bodily functions are also intermediately de- 
pendent upon the brain for their integrity, upon which they likewise 
reflect the influence of their morbid irritations respectively. Or- 
ganic death, not necessarily the termination of existence. The 
mind of man is here understood as a distinct principle, superadded 
to animal mind, and over this spiritual principle death has no 
power beyond that of suspending its present manifestations. The 
phenomena of death afford no argument for the destructibility of 
mind ; still less so, when viewed by the light of moral and christian 
philosophy. Moral inferences to be drawn from the preceding con- 
side rations. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ON THE MENTAL PROPERTIES ; THEIR HEALTHFUL TENDEN- 
CIES AND DISORDERED INFLUENCE. Page 294. 

Argument. — Necessity of distinguishing between the manifestations 
of mind in the lower animals, and those which belong only to man, 
who exclusively possesses the superadded principle : the former 
being purely cerebral, the latter, however modified, still resulting 
from the responsible moral being. Great difference consists in the 
possession of thought by man, and its absence in brutes. Distinc- 
tion between the memory of the two classes, and the results of 
information received through the senses ; the one producing in- 
stinctive, the other reasoning action, — the latter, too, having respect 
to the laws of a moral governor. Thought is liable to disordered 
manifestations ; — influence of sleep upon thought. The hypothesis 
of Sir C. Morgan, in respect of relative sensibility, shown to be 
unnecessary, unphilosophical, absurd, and opposed to facts. Real 
position of the brain, as the medium of mental manifestation ; it is 
the servant of mind, therefore most untrue to assert that the brain 
has no definite function, and is wholly supererogatory : by our 
views it is ennobled, and the mental principle is endued with 
immortality. Objections answered; that every part of the brain 
has been found disorganised; — conservative efforts of nature to 
carry on her functions under difficulties ; — the brain in itself is not 
highly sensitive; — difference of natural appearance in the brain, 
and difficulty of distinguishing such difference, especially since we 



XVI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

know not the nature of the ultimate cerebral fibre ; but these 
difficulties are not greater than those which belong to the hypo- 
thesis terminating in organisation only : — these difficulties exposed, 
— therefore inquiries pushed beyond organisation are not chime- 
rical ; nor the hope at some future day to become acquainted with 
this unexplored territory. Nature of mind beyond our power of 
investigation ; but we may study the function of brain, the con- 
necting link between mind and matter. Hypothesis of Sir C. 
Morgan considered, that thought consists in organic movements, 
and is therefore subject to the laws of matter; answer to this sup- 
position, and proofs that thought does not consist in organic 
movements — that it is not obedient to the laws of matter, and that 
there are greater difficulties in this hypothesis, than in the simpler, 
juster theory of governing mind directing cerebral organisation. 
Observations on the senses ; their developement in inverse propor- 
tion to the employment of reason ; yet the senses are the grand 
inlet to knowledge. Reason for this arrangement : the senses are 
necessary to the conservation of animal life, but their acumen is 
more than supplied by reason, and spiritual predominates over 
animal life. The senses may pervert, but do not watch over and 
guide the operations of mind, which is superior to them. Much 
mental power and action often co-exist without the cognisance of 
the senses ; examples of this law. What is sensation ? How and 
where produced ? Causes operating to sophisticate the reports of 
the senses : influence upon organic life, and reasons for this great 
difference. Time, and frequency of employment, diminish the 
intensity of impression ; — changes effected by advancing years ; — 
diminishing acuteness of feeling, increased range of intellect, and 
certain and final disenchantment from the influence of sense. Im- 
pressions made on the senses, how conveyed to the spiritual mind, 
without which they have no rational or moral result. Objections 
urged against this communication from the crossing and interlacing 
of notices on tUfeir way ; this objection answered and illustrated 
by the transmission of the rays of light. Perception is said not to 
reside in the brain, because of muscular movements after dissolu- 
tion; — fallacy of this argument, and explanation of the facts. 
Mental and moral consequences of perception; — these arise from 
the primordial law of the Creator. Defective states of perception, 
errors, hallucinations, &c. — whence arising. Conscience — its legiti- 
mate and perverted agency — remorse distinguished from repentance. 
Natural religion, — reflection — proper influence — morbid states of. 
Memory, what is it ? it is not wholly mental, not simple attention 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV11 

independent of the will. Distinction between physical and spiritual 
memory ; loss of memory — causes — forgetfulness — abstraction — ab- 
sence of mind, when the brain does not receive adequate impres- 
sions. Sensorial torpor — its fearfulness — impressions made, but 
not attended to — a kind of dream— involuntary thought — a state 
very closely allied to insanity. Deepening shades of cerebral dis- 
order, and important cautions as to the treatment of this state. 
Partial loss of memory explained. Imagination — its healthy func- 
tions — its liability to extravagance. Reverie, to be safely indulged, 
must be controlled by judgment. Its great influence upon disorder 
— its tendency to monomania — agency upon other forms of malady ; 
it may be rendered the means of destroying or prolonging life. 
Will — already noticed (Chap. V., on Progression, &c). Man's 
moral responsibility rests on the exercise of this faculty — his power 
to choose, and to refuse. When dependent on reason only, it is 
feeble, and requires for its strength the aid of passion. Prevalence 
of evil, and natural preference for evil. Tyranny of organic sugges- 
tions. Difference between the volition of brutes, and the will of man ; 
the one impulsive, the other reflective : the one animal suggestion, 
the other spiritual government. Necessity for cultivating the de- 
sire to do good, and to aid it with the motives of benevolence to 
man, and love to God. Objections answered, and examples given. 
Reasons for greater complexity of nervous, than of the arterial 
systems. Influence of presiding mind. Particular providence, 
doctrine of. Circumstances which modify the manifestations of 
mind, bodily and mental, to be more particularly noticed (Chap. X.) 
hereafter. Dispute between the advocates of free will and necessity. 
Important distinction between will and inclination ; frequent mis- 
takes on this subject, by confounding the wish with the will. 
Necessity for self-denial : this position denied by the ultra-spiri- 
tualist, and by the infidel: how these extremes meet, for both 
destroy moral accountability, and both by the similar error, of 
affirming man's utter helplessness. Necessity fofr the subjugation 
of passion to principle: distinction between repentance, and the 
loathing consequent upon organic satiety ; the one is moral change, 
the other, animal exhaustion. But " mental phenomena are go- 
verned by the laws of organised action." This conclusion shown 
to be unphilosophical, as also the assertion, that brain, is " mind 
itself ;" all these difficulties swept away by the truth, that it is the 
exponent of mind. Objection answered, that attention is not a 
" mental faculty, but a peculiar condition of the cerebral organ. 
The same reasoning applicable to the phenomena of spontaneous 

b 



XVI11 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

recollection ; beautiful, but fallacious hypothesis on this subject ; 
theory of organic movements. Ideas, which are wholly organic in 
their origin, are not exempted from moral consequences ; and man 
remains responsible for all his thoughts and actions : example of 
this reasoning in social life. Disposition of certain philosophers 
to lower human nature, so as to make the distinction between man 
and brutes a mere difference in degree. The question of the after- 
existence of brutes in another state of being, impossible to be 
solved ; and not important, if possible, because of man's superadded 
spiritual nature. Arguments on this subject fully stated. Faculty 
of imitation instinctive in its early influence ; agency of fashion 
chiefly operative in the young, and greatly lost in the aged ; morbid 
states of this faculty — its moral relations, and its influence upon 
large masses of mankind, especially in bringing about political 
changes. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

on mental diseases. — Page 387- 

Argument. — Morbid manifestations of mind dependent upon certain 
conditions of the brain. The tyranny of organic suggestions al- 
ready mentioned, and their influence as a basis for conduct dis- 
proved. Consequences of following such suggestions illustrated 
by the influence of hunger ; necessity for subjugating selfish desire : 
the infirmities of the body are not to be pleaded in excuse for the 
obliquities of mind ; they are to be watched against and conquered. 
Influence of sleep in superseding the manifestations of mind; — 
unwonted irritability and oppression of the nervous system — oppo- 
site conditions, but both morbid — use of sleep — unnatural drowsi- 
ness ; effect on the mental manifestations. Dreaming, not a mental, 
but purely a cerebral phenomenon, arising from the primary, or 
secondary irritation of some nervous fibres. Classification of 
dreams according to the organic irritation which occasions them ; 
dreams arising from the renovation of past feelings — the recollec- 
tions of by-gone impresssions — the thoughts, and anxieties, and 
business of the preceding day ; some irritation of the brain itself — 
some impression made upon an organ of sense, or some other organ 
of the body, not immediately an organ of sense, and all these pro- 
ceeding from one common root — irritation of the brain. Reasons 
for abjuring the hypothesis, that dreaming is a phenomenon of 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIX 

mind. Dreaming affords no evidence of the soul's immortality — 
no proof of the actings of spirit at all; on the contrary, the action 
is morbid and inconsistent with perfect health ; and never to be 
found, but when the body is more or less disturbed. Answers to 
objections on account of the rapid changes in dreaming. Con- 
versely, no intellectual process will produce dreaming : the incessant 
talking of delirium in fever — sleep-walking — some hysterical con- 
ditions — the phenomena of fainting, &c. ; other states of suspended 
animation — apoplexy — concussion — slighter injuries of the brain — 
mere momentary stunning. Influence of gradual decay of the 
organs upon the manifestations of mind, very different in different 
individuals, yet always more or less discernible. First occurs, 
diminished attention — loss of the power of concentration — peevish- 
ness, and impatience of contradiction — prejudices and uncontrolled 
thoughts. These symptoms vary much according as the decay 
begins in loss of vascular balance, or diminished nervous energy ; 
the distinction of these two states. Torpor of the brain may arise 
from either condition ; very slight alterations of the circulation 
within the brain produce great effects — irritability — nameless and 
undefined apprehension of approaching danger — slighter and deeper 
shades of paralysis; all these conditions are peculiarly liable to 
spectral illusions ; how accounted for ; hallucinations, to disprove 
which to the patient is impossible by argument ; and these lapse 
into insanity, or fully-formed cerebral disorder, producing greater 
misery than any other form of malady. Remedies against it should 
be twofold — physical and moral. Indispensable importance of long- 
continued perseverance under adverse circumstances, in order to 
final success. Brutes are not subject to insanity; hydrophobia 
even is not an exception to this law, because it is not insanity ; the 
prevailing characteristic of insanity is to be found in the moral im- 
pressions which pre-occupied the sufferer before the invasion of dis- 
order ; which become first the exclusive idea, and then lapse into 
insanity. Examples in proof of this argument. Mental alienation 
differs in nothing from other maladies — in its origin — its progress — 
its termination ; and the only rational treatment is based on the same 
views, with the curative indications of other disorders. How is 
insanity to be detected ? Difficulties of the subject, with suggestions 
for their removal. Great difficulty of distinguishing physical in- 
firmity from moral delinquency. Particular attention due to the 
function of volition. Insanity is very frequently an amplification, 
or distortion of natural character; that is, it is influenced by 
original physical temperament; in every variety, it is purely a 



XX TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

cerebral malady. How far the deeper passions may be causes of 
insanity; their outbreaks are generally consequences rather than 
causes. How far religion can be termed a cause of insanity; it 
never can be in its legitimate influence; but erroneous views may : 
these, however, are not religion ; reasoning is quite useless. An- 
swers to objections arising from the non-existence of organic disease 
in the brain of the insane ; disorder of function alone is sufficient 
to destroy, yet organic disease is more frequent in the insane than 
in others; arguments on this subject — especially those drawn from 
the habits of the nervous system. Bearing of idiocy upon this 
question; also, what are called mental peculiarities ; agency of 
remedies ; early symptoms of cerebral disorder — nervous headaches 
— pericranial headaches, and distinction between them — congestive 
headaches — illusions — great instability of pursuit — violence upon 
trifles — general change of character, when compared with preceding 
years and months. Hypochondriasis, with disorder of the func- 
tions of interior life ; these are generally a consequence, not a cause 
of insanity, as well as feebleness of the bodily muscles ; the most 
successful method of treatment. Demonomania — pseudo-religious 
insanity. Comparison of connexion between genius and insanity, 
as between religion and insanity. Injustice of ascribing the one 
and not the other to insanity. Farther elucidation of this subject, 
as respects the natural and perverted influence of religion. Cau- 
tions on this subject; possession; division of pseudo-religious in- 
sanity, into the hopeful and the desponding ; characteristics of each 
peculiarity ; causes operating in producing either state, and errors 
of well-meaning persons, with cautions on these subjects. Influence 
of physical temperament upon each form of these peculiarities. 
Accidental phenomena, arising from past circumstances, or past 
trials — or sickness — or speculation — or superstition — selfishness of 
the insane; their tendency to introversion; their disposition to 
suicide is immense ; yet every suicide is not insanity ; important 
distinctions, and cautions on the subject of suicide. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND OVER THE BODILY 

functions. — Page 466. 

Argument. — Necessity of considering this subject before entering 
upon that of the influence of the body over the mind ; universality 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXI 

of the consciousness of such influence, yet great ignorance of its 
extent, and widely-ramified agency ; this influence exhibited in the 
efforts of self-preservation — in the expressions of the countenance — 
the smile — the tear — the frown, &c. ; also in various emotions ; 
in the manifold forms of imitation — in the contraction of awkward 
habits — in the moral influence of companionship — in the liability 
to disorder, especially of the nervous system — in the simulation 
of approaching death — and in the production of disease. Examples 
of these states. Influence of mind upon the digestive organs. 
Agency of mind in the cure of disease, and its application to modern 
miracles. Distinction between these and genuine miracles : the 
principles of true and false miraculous agency fully stated ; atten- 
tion especially drawn to the nature of the cures said to have been 
wrought, these being generally cases of defective nervous energy. 
Important distinction between palliative and curative treatment ; 
also between being ill, and feeling ill j there is no modern permanent 
cure of any organic structural alteration. Important conclusions 
drawn from these premises ; and necessity for the exercise of charity. 
The great question of telling, or withholding from, the sick, the 
extent of their danger, fully considered and discussed, as applicable 
to the several forms of acute and chronic disorder. Abuse of the 
Holy Communion, as sometimes exhibited to the sick. Some ob- 
servations on the case of Miss Fancourt, re-published from the 
Christian Observer, and a very recent miraculous cure by Dr. 
Clanney. 



CHAPTER X. 

ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE BODY OVER THE MANIFES- 
TATIONS of mind. — Page 511. 

Argument. — The great distinctions of physical temperament; these 
are rarely to be found uncompounded; yet maybe safely classed 
as the sanguineous, the choleric, or melancholic, the lymphatic,, 
and the nervous ; the peculiar characteristics of each ; their physical 
agency on the body in health or disease ; on the ordinary mental 
manifestations, and on the disordered mental function to which 
each is peculiarly liable. Each one gives its tinge to character in 
health, and, still more so, in the states of disorder. Changes of 
opinion, as influenced, if not produced, by alterations of physical 
structure and condition during the progress of life, exhibited in dif- 



XX11 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

ferent ages. This influence of body upon mind, though very great, 
has been represented to be greater than it really is. Too great a 
mechanical agency of body upon mind, has been attributed to the 
latter : origin of many of its disorders accounted for : important 
distinctions on this subject, and the real causes of disordered 
muscular movement. Morbid sympathies, dependent upon nervous 
connexion. Office of the great sympathetic nerve ; important in- 
ference drawn from the size and function of this nerve. Effect of 
various changes, healthful and morbid, on the functions of organic 
life, and upon the several manifestations of mind. Nevertheless, 
these do not supersede man's moral responsibilities, which remain 
the same under all the action and re-action of the nervous system 
of mind on body, and body on mind. Reasons for this dependence 
and reciprocal agency. The conservative power of nature ; various 
examples of this watchful agency, which might be indefinitely mul- 
tiplied, but are here limited to the different habits of serous and 
mucous membranes. Conservative power of sleep. Agency of the 
atmosphere upon the nervous system, direct and indirect ; and 
upon the manifestations of mind — particularly with regard to its 
dryness or dampness — its pressure. Changes of sentiment — con- 
version. Political conversion, though too frequently produced by 
interested motive, may be the result of this law; exemplified. 
Complexity of operation of causes producing change, in an organ 
which experiences the agency of physical pressure from without, 
and of spiritual commotion from within. Changes of opinion 
classed under the natural and healthful — the organic and the 
morbid ; the first only arising from maturity of judgment. Vacilla- 
tion, and obstinate adherence to expressed opinion, are, perhaps, 
equally opposed to truth. Organic changes depend upon the 
altered condition of the brain; elucidations of this state. The 
term morbid change defined ; it is intended to represent the agency 
of physical causes. Errors in judgment. Insanity ; definition of 
this term. Influence of physical temperament on the expression of 
religious feeling : this has not been sufficiently appreciated. Re- 
ligion consists in the service of the head, as in the feeling of the 
heart; these properties should never be separated. Quietism is 
not equanimity; examples. The manifestations of mind may be 
wholly or partially disturbed ; rationale of this process, which differs 
also according to the original mental calibre. It is not religion 
itself, but the expression of its agency, which is shown thus to vary 
according to the mutable medium, through which its immutable 
principles are shown. The spirit of man is uniform and simple ; 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XX111 

but the mode of its manifestation is infinitely diversified according 
to the medium through which it is exhibited. Exemplification of 
this natural law, in the results of grafting, and in other illustrations 
drawn from nature. The agency of physical temperament has no 
influence upon moral obligation. Illustration of this principle, in 
the manifestations of mind produced by the influence of religion 
upon minds exhibiting different physical constitutions at successive 
periods of life ; on the emotions of the heart ; on the conduct of 
the life, in sorrow and in joy — on a deathbed — and in other im- 
portant situations. The same is to be remarked with regard to 
certain morbid conditions of mental manifestation; examples of 
several of these states in the history of past days. This same in- 
fluence further shown in prayer — in active duty — and under a 
variety of circumstances. Various reasonings on the subject ; and 
illustrations of the power of the physical temperament to modify 
the expression of the deep feelings of the heart. Importance of 
keeping in view the motives to duty. Some effects of fanaticism 
and rational explanation of the same upon rational principles. 
Result of these views ; to promote charity — diminish the influence 
of prejudice — cheer the desponding — check the presumptuous — 
arrest the self-willed devotee of feeling, and stimulate the feeble 
and the languid. 



CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM A REVIEW OF THE WHOLE 

subject. — Page 626. 



THE 

RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

OF 

BODY AND MIND. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF THE SUBJECT. 

If we would inquire into the nature and influ- 
ence of the morbid manifestations of mind, which 
in every varied shape we constantly perceive around 
us, we must first know something of the healthy 
agencies of the manifesting organ; and we must 
become acquainted with the diversified operations 
of physical temperament upon the nature and dis- 
position of such agencies : in fact, we must know 
something of the healthy machinery, before we can 
understand the deviations from its physiological 
conditions. 

It is a forgetfulness of this principle which has 
thrown such a degree of abstraction over the 
writings of psychological authors ; and the small 
amount of good which has resulted from their 



2 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

investigations, may be traced to their manner of 
treating mind as a simply spiritual principle, and 
overlooking the fact that it has no mode of re- 
ceiving notices, or of communicating its own 
actions, except through a material medium, liable 
to be influenced by health and disease, and by all 
the circumstances which act upon the body gene- 
rally, but especially by the original character 
w T hich has been impressed upon the manifesting 
organ. 

With another class of writers there exists the 
opposite error, of referring every modification of 
mind to the organs only, and entirely forgetting 
the presiding spiritual principle, which in a healthy 
state of things should guard, govern, and direct 
the bodily movements : an error this, which is as 
if one referred the musical sounds of a concert to 
the instruments by which they were produced, in 
entire forgetfulness of the talent which guided and 
governed the execution of all those movements of 
the lips and of the fingers, which bring out, and as 
it were impart life and feeling to these sounds. 

It is remarkable that, in general, persons are 
quite contented to carry on the functions of thought 
without observing their peculiarities ; — without no- 
ticing the complex nature of the operations of 
mind ; — without introverting their attention, or 
watching the movements of interior life. It is in- 
deed strange, that man should be contented to pass 
through life, even to the confines of the grave, 
without trying to fathom the depths of his own 
ignorance ;— without seeking to develope the won- 



OF BODY AND MIND. d 

ders of his own understanding ;— without investi- 
gating the nature of his own mind ; — without 
endeavouring to trace to their hidden source the 
various streamlets of sensation and idea which 
seem to claim one common origin ; — without seek- 
ing to define and explain the emotions of the 
heart ; — and without applying himself in good 
earnest to the study of that intellectual constitution 
upon which depends so much of his present posi- 
tion and future hopes, and upon which the dark 
wing of the night of ignorance still broods. 

Yet such is the narrow limit of the human un- 
derstanding, that this inquiry is beset with difficul- 
ties; and that chiefly because the knowledge of 
first causes is almost always beyond our reach. 
The veil which conceals them throws inextricably 
its entangling folds around those who would vainly 
endeavour to draw it aside, and exhibit the pri- 
mary movements of mind upon matter. 

First principles, as they are termed, do not assist 
us in this inquiry ; they are certain known results 
of unknown causes, which we have traced back to 
their origin, as far as we can trace them, but which 
are in truth some of those innumerable secondary 
effects, produced by the agency and influence of 
final causes, all originating from a great first 
cause. The highest reach of the human under- 
standing is, to discover something of the connection 
between the two. To endeavour to rise beyond 
these first principles to their origin, is but to walk 
blindfold in a labyrinth, in which a thousand paths 
conduct to error, each successive one terminating 

b 2 



4 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

in another ; and, at the best, only leading back the 
wearied and unimproved inquirer to the very spot 
from which he first started. 

In reference to our present object, this know- 
ledge is unnecessary, even were it attainable. It 
is not necessary to be acquainted with the ultimate 
nature of light, of heat, of oxygen, in order to trace 
their effects. It is not indispensable to possess an 
intimate knowledge of the principle of life, in 
order to study its phenomena. We need not then 
hesitate to acknowledge the existence of an un- 
known proximate cause of mental action, nor to 
investigate its results so far as human nature can 
conduct us ; the inquiry is strictly an inductive 
one, and we presume only to follow where nature 
and science lead. 

We do not propose to write a treatise on the 
philosophy of mind, nor on what are called mental 
diseases ; but rather to point out the influence of 
physical temperament, both upon the healthy and 
the morbid manifestations of mind; or, in other 
words, to trace the influence of cerebral structure 
upon its function, and to show how far the 
emotion which is in itself spiritual, or the impres- 
sion which is in itself external, may be charac- 
terised by the organ through which these are 
severally given out or received. In conducting 
this inquiry, it may be desirable also to glance 
at the intellectual condition of the lower animals ; 
and sure we are, that if one half of the acuteness 
of thought and reasoning, and one half of the 
diligence, which have been almost wasted on the 



OF BODY AND MIND. O 

science of mind, had been devoted to our present 
purpose, we should not still have had to lament 
that an impenetrable veil seemed to be drawn over 
the mode of action of the brain, — over the mani- 
festations of mind, — and over the relations of the 
organ, to its intellectual and moral disturbances. 

In the following pages we do not profess to draw 
aisde this veil, but we hope to raise at least one of 
its folds, by directing the attention to the influence 
of physical temperament upon the manifestations 
of mind, both in health and during disorder ; and in 
some measure to attempt to trace back their reci- 
procal agencies, in confirming or disturbing the 
mental operations. 

The influence of these views upon the objects 
and the prospects of education ; the extent to which 
this subject is occupying public attention ; and the 
indispensable necessity for fixing its direction ac- 
cording to the peculiar temperament, induce us to 
devote, in the first instance, some time to this 
subject, rendered doubly important by the extent 
to which its machinery is applied. 

The brain, as well as the senses, requires educa- 
tion in order to secure its greatest amount and 
perfectness of action. It is only in proportion to 
the developement of its power, that it gradually 
arrives at precision in the exercise of its functions. 
Thus, for example, its perception, memory, and 
imagination, which are consecutive to and deter- 
mined by sensation, grow and expand in proportion 
as they are called into exercise. And again, 
judgment, of which these form the triple base, 



6 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

associates the ideas thus obtained, at first indeed 
very imperfectly ; but gradually, and by use, and 
by the correction of frequent errors, arriving at a 
considerable degree of accuracy. 

It will not be out of place, thus early in our 
inquiry, to remark an essential difference between 
mental and organic life. There is no want of 
education, for instance, to the stomach ; it per- 
forms its functions without teaching, and is in no 
way improved by any increase of knowledge. And 
so, also, with regard to the other departments of 
organic life ; they admit not of instruction, their 
full power is inherent in themselves. 

While, however, the brain admits of, and re- 
quires, a process of education, it must be allowed, 
on the other hand, that each individual possesses 
a natural character, conferred by physical tempera- 
ment, which, though it may be modified, softened, 
directed, and improved, by the presiding mind, 
cannot be entirely changed, and always gives a 
tinge to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of its 
possessor. 

A little reflection will show, that so far as the 
expression of feeling and thought is characterised 
by physical temperament, so far it is placed under 
the agency of physical causes ; and, however it 
may be controlled, cannot be superseded. Habit 
and exercise may develope power on the one hand, 
and give increased facilities of action, but they 
will not alter the character of the mental manifes- 
tations. Opposite principles may be brought out 
to modify the effects of physical temperament, and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 7 

indeed it is this natural character which for the 
most part requires the exercise of principle. Edu- 
cation may moderate the influence of physical 
temperament, and may deepen reflection, and may 
strengthen and enlarge the judgment, so as to 
render mind superior to the impulse of bodily pas- 
sion, by a constant reference to the first principles 
of moral action. But it is not in her power to 
supersede those bodily influences which constitute 
the sum of man's natural character, such as we 
should find him unrefined by civilization — unin- 
fluenced by the higher moral motives — unguided 
by religion, — a prey to selfish desire — the creature 
of passion — with no hope beyond the gratification 
of to-day — with no aspirations after futurity. 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



CHAPTER II. 

RECIPROCITY OF BODILY AND MENTAL INFLUENCE, 
APPLIED TO EDUCATION. 

It is very certain that education must proceed ; 
a mighty stimulus has been applied to the intel- 
ligence of man, and its operation can no longer be 
controlled : knowledge of some kind, good or bad, 
useful or injurious, he will obtain. For the desire 
has been created, and, as in the case of a starving 
people, food they ivill have, though at the risk of 
breaking up the foundations of their most dearly 
cherished social institutions : so the thirst for know- 
ledge has been cultivated into appetite, and it now 
stands forward in all the vehemence of passion, 
whose voice will be heard, and the whisper of 
whose suggestion must be attended to. It is no 
longer a question whether man is to be taught, but, 
rather, how and what he is to be taught : the prin- 
ciple that knowledge is good in itself, seems to be 
admitted, and the great point of doubt is as to the 
kind and degree of knowledge to be imparted. 

A review of the past few years would show that 



OF BODY AND MIND. V 

the mind had been gradually undergoing prepara- 
tion for this change ; and that unless ignorance 
were allowed to die a natural death, it must soon 
be destroyed by the spirit of man struggling after 
liberty ^.nd independence, and unfortunately over- 
acting its part, so as to convert these real blessings 
into the poisonous fruits of licentiousness, and a 
too prominent contempt for all authority, which 
would place a barrier to the exclusive reign of 
selfish desire. 

The results which have flowed from the adoption 
of the principle that man must be taught, could 
scarcely have been anticipated by its first pro- 
mulgators. And yet it is now easy to see how, 
that if every man must be taught a little, each 
would be raised in his own estimation precisely in 
proportion to the knowledge he possessed ; and 
that thus trenching upon the grade of society next 
immediately above him, that grade also must con- 
sent to add to its former stock of information and 
intelligence, so that it may not be amalgamated 
with that which was the lower, but may still be 
able to maintain that distinction of spirits in 
society which is so indispensable to its well-being. 

This principle once set in motion, would con- 
tinue to operate on the ascending scale of being, 
of social man, even to the highest and most culti- 
vated of the sons and daughters of intellect and 
refinement. A little observation upon the changes 
which have taken place in society during the last 
thirty years, will sufficiently demonstrate the truth 
of this position. And we would fain hope, not- 



10 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

withstanding the evils which have arisen, that the 
change has been for the most part beneficial : for 
although it has developed in some instances an 
impertinent and misplaced show of knowledge, — 
and although the race of literary coxcombs, and 
pedants, and pretenders has increased, — yet this is a 
small evil when contrasted with the amount of real 
knowledge which has been diffused, the power 
of usefulness which has been conferred on tens of 
thousands, and the multiplied comforts which have 
arisen to mankind ; with all the collateral advan- 
tages which have attached to the increased and 
increasing attention to every call of charity, to 
every suggestion of benevolence. The zephyr of 
enlarged and liberal feeling has hushed to repose 
the gusts of passion, and the storms and clouds of 
intolerance ; and the sunshine of peace, and the 
glory of knowledge, have replaced the darkness of 
error and the gloom of bigotry : the human mind 
is no longer held in the degrading thraldom of 
thinking in the same track which others have pre- 
viously and so blindly followed : but it is per- 
mitted, nay, encouraged, to stand forth in all its 
native loveliness, and strength, and beauty of form 
and character ; while each day gives it stability, 
by enlarging the base on which it rests, and adds 
fresh polish to the column which is reared upon it. 
Still it must be confessed that this good is not 
without some corresponding evil. Under the genial 
warmth of the light of intellectual progress, there 
has been developed an innumerable and misshapen 
brood of parasites, which have first defaced and 




OF BODY AND MIND. 11 

then destroyed the leaves of the tree of knowledge ; 
while a thousand pigmy shapes of lesser evil, 
which had passed unnoticed in the gloom, have 
been forced into a state of impertinent observation : 
the good laws of legitimate authority have been 
thrown aside, and the human mind has claimed 
for itself a recklessness of thoughtless, selfish, and 
impassioned action, which would sacrifice any good 
at the shrine of present inclination. Society has 
become a series of concentric but uncombined 
circles, without a common centre, and without a 
sufficient bond of union to preserve it from destruc- 
tion by the first wave of popular discontent ; and 
its foundation has been undermined by removing 
that cement (the bond of union for general good) 
upon which the integrity of the column was de- 
pendent. 

We might indeed trace (and the inquiry would 
not be without considerable interest to the mental 
philosopher) the variety of consequences which 
have flowed from the mighty impetus thus com- 
municated to the operations of the understanding, 
an impetus which has constantly gathered, and is 
still acquiring momentum as it rolls along, accord- 
ing to the compounded ratio of all the cerebral 
energy which it everywhere enlists in its support, 
and in various ways converts into operative power ; 
a principle possessing a new creating energy, and 
which is therefore constantly reproducing itself, 
and will continue to do so, unless interrupted by 
some morbid condition, until the human intellect 



12 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

has reached its highest aim, and there can be no 
longer any place for exertion. 

But we may not be seduced from our path by 
every interesting point of view which presents a claim 
to our attention in the richly-diversified scenery 
of life's magnificent landscape ; and although we 
might rejoice to linger over the successive mani- 
festations of this wonder-working principle, and to 
trace its hidden agencies, as well as its more overt 
influence, yet we prefer, for the present, passing 
over the many phenomena which mark the stirring 
advances of mind, in order that we may ask what 
it is which has given encouragement and support 
to this mighty and successive developement of its 
manifestations. 

In one word, it is the progress of public opinion 
by which the strongholds of prejudice have been 
undermined ; conscious bigotry has sought the 
obscurity which is alone congenial to its sickly 
growth ; ignorance has been shamed out of its con- 
tinuance, and the measure of knowledge which 
would have enabled an individual to pass current in 
society, has been immensely enlarged. The indo- 
lent have been roused, and have been feelingly 
taught, that if they will be supine, others will 
distance them in the race of competition, and will 
carry off the prize, which, in its just proportion, 
has been offered to all as the legitimate meed of 
industry and talent combined. 

Such has been this progress, that in order to 
command public respect and influence, man must 



OF BODY AND MIND. 13 

be first entitled to its possession, not by the exterior 
glare of his situation, but by the real weight of his 
powers and acquirements ; and thus, in some 
happy measure, the race is not confined to the 
privileged few, but is accessible to all. 

It will at once be admitted as a truth, that in 
every class of society there are individual pecu- 
liarities of mental calibre, and of that point of 
intellectual expansion, to which each can attain. 
Yet it will also be admitted, that in proportion as 
the individual is fully placed under the influence 
of the laws of habit and association, and graduated 
exertion, so will his power of acquisition and of 
action be increased, till he has reached the utmost 
verge of human investigation and attainment. 
The pride of man revolts from the admission that 
the God of nature has everywhere placed a limit to 
research, which it exceeds the power of man to 
overstep ; and in acknowledging this so humbling 
truth, we rejoice, that although Nature has given 
nothing to man without much labour, yet with an 
all-bounteous hand she has dispensed her favours 
liberally to the diligent. 

Such, however, is the powerful influence of mind 
over matter, that this limit may, for a lengthened 
and apparently indefinite series of advances, be 
constantly thrown more and more backward, while 
a greater fulness and prominence may be given to 
the attributes of mind. 

We have ascribed this advance to the influence 
of mind upon matter, because we believe that the 
original difference of mental manifestation is depen- 



14 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

dent first upon the physical constitution of the 
brain and nervous system. We are not mate- 
rialists, nor are we thorough-paced believers in the 
speculations of the cranioscopists # of our day ; 
but we do believe that the natural kind and degree 
of mental manifestation is dependent upon, and 
characterised by, physical constitution ; and that 
this latter may be modified by causes operating 
upon it ; and, through it, upon the expression of the 
perceptions, associations, and actions of the imma- 
terial principle. 

A single glance at society will demonstrate this 
proposition. In each one of its successive stages, 
from the lowest to the highest, will be found a 
difference of physical temperament, and a corre- 
sponding distinction in the manifestations of mind ; 
obscure and obtuse in the lowest, frequently feeble 
and morbidly acute in the highest, and perhaps 
reaching the maximum of power and strength in 
the middle ranks of life. This rule may be influ- 
enced by situation and circumstances, by health 
and disease, by education, by laws, habits, religion, 
and many other causes ; still the principle exists, 
and will be found intact ; the manifestations of 
mind are characterized by physical temperament. 

This proposition requires a little further deve- 
lopement. Man is a complex animal, compounded 
of the most exquisite organization, and of the 
highest order of spiritual intelligence ; at least in 
so far as we have any acquaintance with the nature 
and essence of spiritual existence. A very slight 
* Vide subsequent page. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 15 

attention to the operations of mind will, however, 
show that, from some cause or other, these are 
exceedingly limited in their extent ; that a natural 
thirst for knowledge is grievously counteracted by 
the difficulties in the way of obtaining it ; — that 
the pathway of science is intricate, and beset with 
thorns and briers ; — that its ascent is rendered 
steep and wearisome ; — and that the laborious hours 
of the schoolboy, when marked by industry and 
perseverance, do not result from any natural apti- 
tudes for literature, but commonly more from the 
fear of punishment than the love of acquisition. 

Yet we do see some few finer spirits vanquish 
every difficulty, and in the full tide of their zeal 
overcome every obstacle ; yea, go forward in the 
paths of knowledge with enthusiastic delight, 
counting no present attainment sufficient, while 
there remains within their view another more 
distant yet accessible point. Moreover, we do see 
different individuals excelling in different pursuits ; 
and this arising, not simply from exclusive devo- 
tion to one or the other, but apparently from 
possessing some original affinities towards one 
object in particular. How are these things to be 
accounted for, but by supposing that the immate- 
rial spirit does not now possess those full powers for 
which it was originally designed ? — that there is 
some cause in the way of its more complete and 
easy growth and advance towards maturity ? — and 
that these natural difficulties are only overcome by 
the undefined peculiarities of those few who are 



16 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

constantly reaching forward towards the perfection 
of intellect ? 

Now, if we could ascertain wherein this pecu- 
liarity consisted, we should be enabled to explain 
the other difficulties of the problem. In our 
opinion, this difference will be found in the pecu- 
liar aptitude of the brain for particular intellectual 
and spiritual manifestation. It is allowed that the 
operations of the spiritual principle are not extended, 
but, on the contrary, are curtailed by its union with 
matter. We all know how much the workings of 
thought are impeded by the materiality of spoken 
language, and still more by the material process 
of fixing the ideas thus embodied upon paper. 
Yet, without these material processes, man would 
possess no power of communicating his thoughts ; 
and thus remaining as an isolated being in crea- 
tion, he would become a prey to the solitude of his 
own bosom, wandering in the gloomy night of 
unmitigated sorrow, and unparticipated enjoyment. 
Thus man is dependent for the manifestation of his 
spiritual attributes ; or, in other words, for the 
knowledge of his mental functions, to their material 
organ the brain. And in proportion as this organ 
is originally more or less perfect, as well as accord- 
ing to its native peculiarities, so will be the aptitude 
for peculiar pursuits, and the success with which 
they will be attended. 

This result seems to depend upon a general phy- 
siological law : and the original greater or less ap- 
proach to the more perfect state is strongly marked 



OF BODY AND MIND. 17 

in different individual animals of the same species. 
The sagacity of the horse and the dog are prover- 
bial : but all horses and all dogs are not equally 
sagacious ; and the difference is to be sought in 
the conformation or construction of their brains. 

The same principle is applicable to man, since 
he also possesses a similar, but more perfect orga- 
nization ; and in him is superadded the immate- 
rial principle. Still this immaterial soul is equally 
dependent, not for its actions, but for the manifesta- 
tion of those actions, as well as for the expression of 
thought and feeling, upon matter ; and brain is 
as necessary to the exhibition of thought in man as 
it is to the development of instinct in him, in com- 
mon with the lower animals. 

If we required a confirmation of this principle, 
we should find it in the agency of exterior circum- 
stances ; we should discover it in the steady pursuit 
of health, and in the brilliant coruscations of 
intellect under the excitement of cerebral stimula- 
tion ; as well as in the vacillation of the invalid, 
the feeble will, the impaired memory, the deficient 
imagination of the convalescent, and in the inapti- 
tude and listlessness of sickness : and to place at 
once in close juxtaposition, both ends of this series 
of phenomena, we should find it in the constant 
spiritual aspirations of the creature of intelligence 
and piety, as in the absolute annihilation of mental 
manifestation of the idiot. 

Again, collision with other minds, or the energy 
of competition, will, by its stimulus to the organ, 
enable it to do more than it could have done with- 



18 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

out this excitement : and, moreover, it is constantly 
subjected to that law of progressive action, and of 
habit, by which every organ capable of sustaining 
a certain degree of exertion now, will be enabled to 
do a little more shortly afterwards ; and so may be 
carried on to an extent and depth of manifestation, 
which at first could not have been anticipated. 

The important inference we would draw from 
this discussion, is, the necessity there exists for at- 
tending to the health, and cultivating the growth, 
of the organ, and of placing it under favourable 
circumstances for its fullest development. 

Education is not simply and exclusively a spiri- 
tual process ; nor will it be perfected, unless the 
organ upon which it primarily acts be secured 
from all morbid irritation, and be gradually con- 
ducted to its highest powers of natural action : the 
object therefore of education is twofold, viz. phy- 
sical and intellectual. 

We shall presently revert to this subject ; but 
here we only wish to insist upon a principle, which 
will easily account for many of the supposed ano- 
malies, or which have passed as such, because they 
were not comprehended ; and which will promote 
enlarged and benevolent views towards those who 
cannot see, and think, and feel, and reason with the 
same organ. It is, however, abundantly clear, 
that the immaterial principle presides over that 
organ, through which its operations are manifested ; 
that it is not the servant or slave of cerebral pecu- 
liarity, but that the latter is placed under the wise 
direction and government of the former ; that man 



OF BODY AND MIND. 19 

is a. free agent ; that by the agency of his will, he 
can control, or suspend, or encourage, or stimu- 
late any one of his peculiarities ; and that he is 
morally responsible for all those actions which 
result, not from the irritation of matter upon mind, 
but from the agency of thought, and feeling, and 
judgment, and principle, and reason, and con- 
science, upon their (as it ought to be) obedient 
servant the brain, the organ by which the faculties 
of the immaterial intelligence are manifested. 

Here also we see the influence of opinion upon 
man — an influence which remarkably exhibits the 
manner in which he is subjected to the twofold 
agency of physical structure and moral motive ; for 
it is clear, that the condition of his physique operates 
in modifying the manifestations of his morale ; 
while again the influence of the latter is very great 
upon the power and capacity for action of the 
former. 

Thus, in the matter of education, the progress of 
public opinion has declared, that man must be 
taught : has irrevocably proclaimed, that ignorance 
is an evil which ought to be removed ; and has 
consigned the opposite hypothesis, to the constantly 
narrowing circle of the few r , who love not knowledge 
for its own sake, because they cannot appreciate its 
value ; and of those more designing individuals 
who dread the diffusion of information, lest it 
should unfold their machinations, and put an end 
to the thraldom in which they would fain continue 
to hold the minds of many, by preserving power 
(i. e. knowledge) in the hands of few. 

c 2 



20 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

But public opinion has declared its compassion 
for the former class, and has pronounced so de- 
cidedly in favour of freedom of thought, that none 
can with any hope of success aspire to chain it 
down within its former limits. It has become that 
broad and ample stream, which, duly regulated, 
may convey health and fertility throughout its 
course ; while any attempt to restrain its onward 
flow would result only in so accumulating its mo- 
mentum by opposition, as that it should overwhelm 
everything in its way, and prove an occasion of de- 
vastation and misery, till it had regained its ori- 
ginal channel ; when passing on in peace, it will 
again convey blessings to all around. 

And it must flow on : the great object in view is, 
so to preserve its banks from dilapidation, as that it 
shall be enabled to convey on its broad and ample 
bosom the fullest amount of good, without danger 
to surrounding institutions from its occasional out- 
breaks. Religion and reason are the appointed 
safeguards, and with these on the right hand and 
on the left, there is no danger from the widest dif- 
fusion of useful knowledge. The immortal mind 
can no longer be subjected to despotic control ; 
and in order to the security of our ancestral, social, 
political, and religious institutions, these must live 
in the affections of the many who are capable of 
appreciating their value ; they must ensure the 
approbation of the wise and good, and they must 
do so by the amount of good which they commu- 
nicate, and the amount of evil for which they pro- 
vide a remedy. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 21 

Moreover, public opinion has long declared, and 
is every day declaring in louder strains, that as large 
and liberal a policy as is consistent with the con- 
servative principle of nature, and with that general 
cession of individual rights to the few, for the good 
government of the many, is, under all circum- 
stances, the talisman by which security may be 
obtained, rebellious spirits may be controlled, the 
good may be encouraged, and the bad may be pre- 
vented doing mischief to themselves or others. 
Narrow, and confined, and selfish views will defeat 
their own ends; and nothing but that which seeks 
to promote its own power by the happiness and 
worth of others, can long avail. It is to be recol- 
lected, however, that these views are decidedly op- 
posed to the ultra-liberalism of the day, which will 
be found, on close inspection, actually to originate 
in these very narrow, and confined, and selfish 
dogmas, tending to the dissolution, not to the con- 
servation, of the connecting links of social order. 

It has also been declared by common consent, 
that the amount of information which was suffi- 
cient a few years since, will no longer preserve its 
possessor from ridicule, will no longer prevent his 
being fairly elbowed by more industrious com- 
petitors ; and that if any lay claim to the intellec- 
tual respect of his fellow man, it must be by deserv- 
ing it, by having gained superiority of mind, by 
superior industry, and by justly demanding atten- 
tion from solidity of judgment and extent of ac- 
quisition . 

To this end intellectual man must be educated, 



22 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and must avail himself of all the advantages afforded 
by his situation, in order to create that legitimate 
influence which arises from the majesty of mind. 
This however is not to be accomplished by any 
simply mechanical process; and in order to success, 
education must be preserved from the domain of 
empiricism, and must be placed under the regula- 
tion of fixed and suitable principles. The days of 
prosperous charlatanism are for the most part 
rapidly passing away ; the human mind has ad- 
vanced to a state of improvement, in which it is no 
longer to be duped by a system of irrational influ- 
ence, based as it may be on the unreal fears and 
imaginary joys of credulity. These are the mighty 
weapons so lavishly wielded by the Papal church, 
for preserving the human mind in the dark thral- 
dom of ignorance, and are decidedly opposed to the 
means for recalling it, as far as human agency can 
do so, to wear again the image of the Almighty 
Creator in the likeness of which it was at first 
created. 

In this country, at least, we hope there is no 
danger of the successful exertion of this sinister 
bias ; we hope that the mummeries of popery, — the 
austerities of penance — the sale of indulgences — the 
history of the holy scapular — the absurdities of 
purgatory— purchased prayers for the dead, and all 
the lucrative inventions of a crafty priesthood, — we 
hope, at least, that all these evils have perished be- 
fore the light of truth ; that the receptacle for holy 
water has been clean purged by the flow of the sacred 
stream of knowledge, and that the character of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 23 

professed minister of Christ can no longer claim 
the mysterious homage of the priest, but must 
rest its pretensions entirely on the attributes of the 
good man ; in fact, must appeal for its influence 
to the reason and reflection of admirers. 

We trace the operation of the same principle 
under other circumstances. Thus the storm can 
no longer be employed as an instrument of terror^ 
and as an exhibition of the wrath of the offended 
Majesty of heaven : its rationale is explained — its 
signal benefits are understood, and gratitude to a 
God of infinite beneficence has supplied the place of 
that undefined alarm, which was so long cherished 
for unworthy purposes in the bosom of man. 

So, also, the light of science has beamed upon the 
night of spectral illusions : and the only remnant of 
reality which ever attached to these symbols offiear, 
has been that of the fatal influence exerted over 
them by returning daylight ; the sun of knowledge 
has dawned upon them ; yea, they have been dis- 
sipated into thin air by the day-star of investiga- 
tion, and the place of their locality has known them 
no more. 

Once more, the earth-born sons of iEsculapius 
had maintained their hold upon the human mind, 
by an invidious appeal to the hopes and fears of 
man's bosom ; those powerful emotions, which, 
craftily employed, had contributed to preserve a 
sway which will no longer be yielded, except by 
the assent of reason, to the majesty of mind. Now, 
when an opinion is delivered by these adepts, they 
must be prepared to defend it, by an appeal to 



24 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the understanding, and by the conviction of judg- 
ment ; or, it will be estimated as it deserves to be, 
viz. as a tattered shred of that juggling, whose 
requiem was chanted when man first began to 
think clearly and to reason soundly. 

And thus it is with a variety of other illustrations, 
adapted to every department of life, increasing in 
proportion as each is withdrawn farther from ma- 
thematical demonstration, and is placed more imme- 
diately on the manifestations of mind. We do not 
assert that these correct views have entirely super- 
seded the chimeras and hippogriffs of the olden 
time, but we do say, that they have done much to- 
wards this happy issue, and are yet in daily pro- 
gress ; and we add, that the quackery of systematic 
education must eventually give way to the circula- 
tion of enlightened principles, and to the cultiva- 
tion of the human intellect. A few barren scraps 
of Latin, and Greek, and French, will no longer 
fill the desires of the mind ; its education must be 
intelligent, not automatic ; and principles of reason 
and of conduct must now occupy that debateable 
ground, which has been long contended for between 
ignorance and prejudice on the one hand, and on 
the other by that pseudo-knowledge, which, with 
the semblance of information, would leave its pos- 
sessor without a single ray of duty, to become the 
easy victim of oppression, or the cruel sport of ill- 
regulated passion, or uncontrolled desire. 

But it can no longer be : man has awakened as 
from an uneasy dream ; and though the recollec- 
tion of its circumstances may have passed away 



OF BODY AND MIND. 25 

with the first waking train of thought, yet he 
trembles to slumber again, lest the same distracting 
images should be presented to him, and lest he 
should lose the delightful consciousness of exercis- 
ing his reasoning powers, in the way best calcu- 
lated to promote the designs of his Creator. 

The objects, the pursuit of which should be pro- 
posed to himself by the mental philosopher, are, 
health of body and soundness of mind, so as to 
ensure, by this combination, the largest quantit}^ of 
intelligence which may be compatible with the 
firmest corporeal fibre ; secondly, the formation of the 
social character, so as to render each individual 
generally acceptable to the largest possible number 
of his compeers, provided always that these be 
among the wise and good ; and, thirdly, to regu- 
late his passions, to destroy his selfish propensities, 
and to clevelope the virtues, and the feelings, and 
the principles of social life, so as to form at once 
the valuable acquaintance, the faithful friend, the 
good relative, the consistent patriot, and the obe- 
dient subject. 

Our attention must be directed for a short time 
to these particulars. We have already stated, that 
man is a free agent, that he has power to choose the 
good, and refuse the evil ; that he has the control 
of his will, and that he is consequently responsible 
for all he says, or does, or thinks. But in conse- 
quence of some perverting agency, he is so entirely 
prone to prefer the evil, and to be indifferent to the 
good, that the repression of the former, and the 
growth of the latter, are objects of considerable 



26 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

difficulty. Yet we are not supinely to ascribe all 
the mischief we discover to this cause ; nor quietly 
to rest contented under its operation, as though such 
a state of things were entirely beyond our con- 
trol. 

It is a duty to inquire into the occasional causes 
of this evil. Let, for instance, each parent ask his 
own conscience, how far he may himself have 
fostered these deviations from right, by a neglect of 
duty, by a forgetfulness of the course pointed out 
to him by reason and religion, by example and by 
habit, by taking education too much as a thing of 
course, by a distortion of its objects, by the omis- 
sion of some part of its primary designs, or by the 
want of that care, and caution, and persevering 
diligence, with which they should have been carried 
out and developed. Let him again ask his own 
conscience, if his attention has been directed to the 
control of evil, and to the encouragement of good 
passions, or to the excitement and regulation of the 
desires of the opening mind in the nursery. Rather 
let him say, if the early years of childhood have not 
been suffered to lie wasted in this infantile micro- 
cosm. Wasted! did we say? Have they not 
been cruelly abandoned to the spoliation inflicted 
by the unmitigated waywardness of cerebral pro- 
pensity ? Have they not been yielded to the con- 
flicting tendencies of unlimited caprice, indulged 
in every possible form ? Has not this early vantage 
ground been abandoned to the enemy ; and has 
not the growth of evil been promoted by absolute 
indifference, or by irregular and unprincipled 



OF BODY AND MIND. 27 

opposition ? But where this has been the case, 
man ceases to be a free agent, yet, most unfortu- 
nately, without losing his accountability ; for the 
voice of reason is stilled by the clamour of passion ; 
justice and benevolence yield their sway to selfish- 
ness ; the firmness of the will is repressed by the 
superiority of present desire ; the appeal of judg- 
ment is no longer heard in the unholy agitation of 
contending influences ; the monitions of conscience 
are inadequate to grapple with the power of imme- 
diate gratification ; infant man becomes the crea- 
ture of impulse, and he is hurried on at the bidding 
of every fresh emotion, into all the obliquities of 
animal propensity, and into entire forgetfulness of 
those laws, which are founded not only in the 
nature of things, but on that sublime code of 
christian ethics, which has been transmitted to us 
as the rule of daily life : and this, too, without 
losing his responsibility, because the evil has arisen 
from the neglect of developing that germ of good 
which was in him, and leaving the spiritual to be- 
come the abject slave of the animal nature. 

Thus it would appear, that the free agency of 
the man is depending upon the education of the 
child ; for if this be not what it ought to be, — rather 
shall we say, if it be what it too generally is, — 
he will become the slave of his passions and pro- 
pensities, and he will lose his intellectual and 
spiritual freedom. No wonder, then, that we trace 
around us so much evil, so little good, such 
starveling intellects, such stunted charity, so great a 
host of malignant passions, spreading over nature's 



28 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

fair domain, and enshrouding her finest propor- 
tions ; for they have been brooded over with 
fostering though unwonted care ; and the existence 
of this frightful progeny has scarcely been admitted, 
or even suspected, till, in the undeniable features of 
maturity, it has not only bid defiance to control, 
but has claimed for itself the supremacy of govern- 
ment. O that man were wise ! that he would 
consider the lesson thus afforded him by reflection ! 
How greatly would the sum of individual happiness 
and virtue be increased ! How immensely would 
the aggregate of good be augmented by the accu- 
mulation of all these individual sums ! 

To this end, a first claim to attention is presented 
by all which relates to the health of the body ; and 
of those several organs and functions, which, in their 
influence immediate or remote, exert a generic or 
specific agency upon the organ of mind : and a 
second and not inferior claim is to be found for all 
those processes, through which the dominion of in- 
tellect may be enlarged, the evil passions and pro- 
pensities may be controlled, and the mind may be 
prepared for that moral and religious training, 
which is to complete the perfection of man as a 
rational and accountable being. 

One of the first laws of physical or organic life, 
is, that in order to secure its healthy function, 
every organ must be exercised; that lengthened 
repose is fatal to its tone ; and that excessive exer- 
tion, or irritative action, will result in diminished 
power or feebleness. And this is especially true of 
the brain. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 29 

Again, the brain is associated with other organs, 
whose direct or sympathetic influence will exert a 
beneficial or a morbid agency, according to the 
state of health or disorder of those secondary 
organs. 

And, lastly, the capacity of the brain for exertion 
is progressive, for it is a law of the human mind, 
that it cannot be stationary ; if it do not advance, 
it must retrograde. But its physiological condition 
is to seek after improvement ; to carry its powers 
and principles onwards towards perfection ; never to 
be contented with the attainment of to-day, but to 
be always advancing ; and finally to be seeking after 
that happy immortality, which alone can employ 
all its faculties, or satisfy all its desires. This con- 
sideration will unravel many an intricacy of mental 
manifestation, and wanting this clue, it would be 
impossible to explore, what would then appear to 
be, an inextricable labyrinth. 

The education of the brain, then, as the organ of 
thought, becomes a question of primary import- 
ance ; for although the immaterial principle will 
remain the same under any mode of its exhibi- 
tion, yet the manifestation of its influence will be 
widely different, and the result upon the individual 
himself, and upon those with whom he stands asso- 
ciated in a nearer or less intimate connexion, will 
scarcely be recognized as coming from the same 
spiritual origin. Good or evil, blessing or cursing, 
are mainly in the power of the instructor ; and as 
the mind can only be reached through its material 
organ, it is of the first consequence to consider that 



30 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

organ, to estimate fairly its physical relations, to 
judge how far it may also be acted upon through 
the medium of intellectual manifestation, as well as 
the degree in which it may be guided by moral 
and religious principles and motives. 

With regard to the agency of physical education, 
in promoting or obstructing these views, two very 
opposite errors prevail : the first, in which every 
effort is made to stimulate the brain, and to produce 
little prodigies of intellectual development and 
acquisition, an error which very generally termi- 
nates in the destruction of life, or conducts pari 
passu to infantile decrepitude ; and the second, in 
which the brain is allowed to remain quiescent 
during the early years of childhood. 

And it may be fairly asked why ? Nature has 
taken abundant care to perfect the organ early, to 
supply it with all that it would require in order to 
maintain action ; and she has declared, that the 
senses are given us, as so many channels for the 
reception of ideas. Why, then, it may be asked, 
may not attention be awakened to these ideas? 
Why may not reflection be developed, and associa- 
tion cultivated ? In fact, why may not the organ 
of mind be led to think, to reason, to combine? 
When the senses are perpetually employed so as to 
repress intellectual manifestation, why may they 
not also be engaged in promoting its growth ? The 
effect of regular and moderate exercise, is to in- 
crease the aptitude of every organ for its peculiar 
function, to give it strength, to preserve it from too 
high a degree of susceptibility, to furnish it with 



OF MIND AND BODY. 31 

such a regular supply of blood, as shall enable it to 
maintain increased action without suffering, and so to 
strengthen its vessels and its fibres, as that the former 
shall not easily admit of over-action, distension, or 
congestion ; nor the latter of too great tension or 
irritation, upon every application of more than ordi- 
nary stimulus. 

On the contrary, a state of repose is fatal to these 
good results, because it places the organ in a pecu- 
liar state of irritability ; unequal to its due measure 
of physiological action, exposed to a degree of feeble- 
ness commensurate with the duration of its listless 
inactivity, furnished only with such a supply of 
blood as shall enable it to vegetate, (for the supply- 
is always equal to the demand,) and placing its 
vascular apparatus, and its sentient fibres, in a 
condition favourable to the development of every 
morbid action. 

It is a perfect mistake to suppose that the brain 
will suffer from judicious exercise : it is injudicious 
and fitful exertion, grafted upon a state of feebleness 
resulting from lengthened inaction, which is to be 
feared ; and its means of preservation from such a 
state are, by gradual employment, to awaken the 
powers of intellect, and to carry them safely on- 
'ward to their highest reach. 

In accomplishing this object, the only caution 
necessary to be observed, is not to induce excessive, 
or irritative action. This may be occasioned by 
long-continued exertion, giving rise to fatigue and 
exhaustion, these being followed by a morbid state 



32 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of irritability, and oftentimes by greater efforts, and 
a consequent semblance of power ; but really accom- 
panied by a diminished capacity for exertion, a state 
which, if novj mistaken, will soon result in difficultly- 
recoverable feebleness. The same event may be 
brought about, by the abuse of stimuli, and by the 
lavish excitement of feeling and emotion, rather 
than by the cool growth of intellect, and judgment, 
and principle. 

These are evils which would endanger the ulti- 
mate integrity, and assuredly would diminish the 
immediate power of the brain, and should serve as 
beacons to guide the pathway of the instructor. 
That there should be difficulties to surmount, is one 
of the laws of the probationary state in which we 
live, and these should only serve to define the way 
in which we may securely walk, so as to obtain a 
high degree of healthful, intellectual manifestation. 
Every step in advance will not only be a point 
gained against ignorance, and error, and obliquity, 
but it will form a resting place, from which to set 
out for further progress ; and these advances and 
resting places may be multiplied in an indefinite 
series ; and they will proceed in an augmenting 
ratio, because every such advance adds to the 
future power of acquisition ; and, therefore, after a 
certain number of steps have been gained, the 
capacity for reaching onwards has been increased to 
such an extent, that the same effort will produce 
an accumulating effect; the sphere of intellectual 
vision will be enlarged, and the mind will be early 



OF BODY AND MIND. 33 

conversant with objects, which, but for this gra- 
duated exertion, it could scarcely have hoped to 
attain. 

Surely, then, it can require only a moderate share 
of intelligence to perceive, how important it is to 
develope the physical powers of the organ of mind, 
in order to ensure the largest amount of intellectual 
manifestation which is compatible with unbroken 
bodily health. 

To secure the latter, it must not be forgotten, 
that the organ of mind is associated intimately with 
other organs and functions ; and that it is influ- 
enced by their health or disorder ; and this, too, 
whether they may be mutually and immediately 
dependent upon each other ; or whether the con- 
nexion be only one of sympathy, a term which 
perhaps designates a hidden relationship, whose 
laws we may be as yet unable precisely to inves- 
tigate. 

This term, however, is not to be derided as a 
synonym for ignorance of certain conditions; for it 
is not so ; it implies and intends, where it is morbid, 
the capacity of suffering with a distant organ in a 
state of irritation ; and it is by no means necessary 
that we should be enabled to say in what this 
irritation consists, or to trace the mode of its opera- 
tions ; it is sufficient to show that it does exist ; 
and imbecility alone can doubt it. 

One of the most important of these associated 
organs, and by far the most cruelly abused, is the 
stomach. In point of fact, it often seems to be the 
great object of instruction, to educate the powers of 

D 



34 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

this organ, and not even contented with gastro- 
nomic development, to diminish those powers by op- 
pression. If man were a polype, if he were all 
stomach, this might be unobjectionable ; if he were a 
mere assemblage of bones, and muscles, and nerves, 
a caveat might even here be indeed entered, with- 
out insisting very largely upon its observance ; but 
if he be an intellectual, a social, a spiritual, an 
immortal being — then, indeed, it were absurd, it 
were criminal, so to abuse that stomach, as to repress 
the intellectual, blunt the social, and obscure the 
spiritual manifestations, so as to leave no just traces 
of that " longing after immortality " which should 
characterize his thoughts and actions. 

The proposition reduces itself to the most simple 
form. While the stomach receives only so much 
as is required by the necessities of the system, so 
long does the brain remain unconscious of having to 
support its action ; the work is well, because auto- 
matically, performed, and the body is in health. 
But when one step in advance is taken, and appe- 
tite is gratified to repletion, the brain becomes con- 
scious of having its energies directed to the stomach ; 
it is weakened and oppressed ; its aptitude for 
intellectual exertion is diminished or destroyed ; 
the manifestations of mind become feeble or dis- 
torted, and a degree of mal-aise in the system is 
produced, during the continuance of which, healthy 
mental progress is impossible. 

Now since the state of the stomach is very much 
within our control ; and since it is the most 
frequent distant cause of that cerebral irritation 



OF BODY AND MIND. 35 

which so commonly terminates in disorganizing 
change, it is the highest reach of folly, and of 
prejudice, so to stimulate its powers, as that they 
should interfere with the healthy action of the 
brain. 

The mischief, when produced, does not terminate 
with the irritation of the day ; since this oppression 
frequently repeated, results in such permanent 
change of the sympathizing organ, that itself loses 
power, and is no longer capable of the same 
amount of intellectual manifestation. And this 
enfeebling cause operates in an inverse ratio with 
exercise ; for, as each step in advance gives an 
augmented capacity for future acquisition, so each 
successive irritation occasions that retrograde move- 
ment, which is accompanied by a constantly-de- 
creasing power for regaining the ground which has 
been lost; still less of occupying a new field of 
knowledge or investigation. 

The organ of mind possesses individual peculia- 
rities ; these are in some instances hereditary, and 
handed down from parent to child ; in others, 
they are dependent upon causes with which we are 
not acquainted ; and, moreover, they will be modi- 
fied or changed by any cause which modifies or 
changes the brain. And since the organ itself de- 
pends for its nutrition upon the general nourish- 
ment of the body ; and as that nourishment, when 
prepared by a process of secretion, will partake of 
the qualities of the secreting viscus, and of that 
nervous system, without whose aid, no secretion 
will take place, so there can be no question, but 

d 2 



36 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

that the cerebral manifestation will, to a certain ex- 
tent, partake of the impressions thus received, from 
the character of the nourishment, during the first 
years of infantile existence. 

From what has been just written, it will follow, 
that in order to any plans of education being suc- 
cessful, they must be adapted to the individual dif- 
ferences of the organ upon which they are to be 
impressed ; and the exponent of these peculiarities 
is to be sought, not in any arbitrary laws of phy- 
siognomy or phrenology ; not in any empirical 
gauge of intellect; but by the slow process of 
watching the manifestations of mind, and of ascer- 
taining their extent and power. The facial angle 
of Camper, the occipital angle of Daubenton, the 
physiognomy of Lavater, the phrenology of Gall 
and Spurzheim, Vimont, Leuret, &c, will con- 
duct their respective votaries to folly, error, and 
delusion, but will never tend of themselves to any 
generally beneficial result. 

It is time that these puerilities were abandoned, 
and that they should give place to the rational 
study of character, as exhibited in the mental at- 
tributes. We are fully disposed to allow that the 
muscles of expression of the countenance will 
be strongly marked by the prevailing emotions : 
but even here, there will be found many a source of 
fallacy ; and besides, after all, it is passion rather 
than intellect, which is thus manifested, so that 
although the indications of the countenance are not 
to be rejected, yet they will be of real value, only as 
beacons to guide further inquiries, and point out 



OF BODY AND MIND. 37 

certain dangers to be avoided ; not as affording data 
sufficient for inferential reasoning, much less for 
the establishment of conduct. 

But if this be the case with that mode of exhibit- 
ing mind which Heaven in its wisdom has clearly 
appointed, what shall we say of that organic 
hypothesis which it has as carefully concealed, 
which is unnecessary to any known valuable practi- 
cal result, which is absurd in some of its details, 
and which may be injurious in its application ? We 
have been nauseated, satis super que, with the 
gaspings of this miscalled science ; and we could 
wish for no better argument against its utility, than 
we met with some years since, in a provincial 
magazine, while waiting the arrival of the mail, in 
one of our most ancient cities ; in which it was 
propounded that the skull of a recent murderer had 
been submitted to examination, and so, forsooth, 
his jealousy, which had originated the murder, was 
dependent upon a huge organ of amativeness ; he 
committed the crime for which he suffered, because 
the organ of destructiveness was large; and he did 
so at an early hour in the evening, and at no great 
distance from a cottage, because his organ of cautious- 
ness was small. True, indeed, that his organ of 
veneration was large, and we might have imagined 
that this should have controlled the influence of 
destructiveness : but phrenology is never at a loss : 
this organ had not been, cultivated ; for if it had, 
this individual might have been saved from crime, 
and so it appeared from his history, that he did not 
go to church ; as if the organ of destructiveness 



38 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

had been more cultivated by murders, than the 
organ of veneration by acts of devotion. It is pity 
that the number of murders he had committed, and 
the number of times he had gone to church, had 
not been placed in tabular opposition, that we 
might have formed a fair judgment how far culti- 
vation was a cause of the luxuriant growth of either 
of the prominent, and apparently opposite organs. 
From such absurdities, when so held, leading to 
worse results, and terminating in the gloomiest forms 
of materialism, and in the subversion of moral obli- 
gation, — good Lord deliver us ! We refer to a sub- 
sequent page for the more serious discussion of this 
question. 

Most happily we are not generally left to such a 
cheerless system, for the results of religious influ- 
ence. We trust the time is yet far distant, when 
we are to be dependent upon an organ of venera- 
tion for the morality and good feelings of our 
neighbourhood and country ; and we hope that the 
diffusion of a rational and scriptural system of 
Christianity will speedily put an end to these hope- 
less opinions; that it will secure the prejudices of 
the young in favour of religion ; that it will infuse 
into their minds principles of practical application, 
and lead to a correct government of the conduct ; 
and that it will dissipate the illusions of enthusiasm, 
and place the devotional feelings under the control 
of sound judgment, rather than under the influ- 
ence of excited sensibility. 

It is not enough that the intellect be developed, 
and the literary character be fully formed ; the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 39 

foundation, indeed, has been very properly laid, 
but principles of conduct must be supplied, and 
motives for action must be given, and a powerful 
and adequate sanction must be sought. The 
young must not be left to discover these principles, 
these motives, and this sanction intuitively ; or 
they will become victims to the first designing 
demagogue who will craftily tell them that reli- 
gion consists in a certain exercise of the imagina- 
tion, and in the belief of a certain scheme of 
doctrines ; that it has no real, practical bearing, 
but consists in feelings and emotions; or that it 
is limited to a certain imperfect obedience to 
truth ; or, finally, that there is no such thing as 
real religion at all ! The young must be impressed 
with a sense of their moral accountability, which 
will involve the idea of their being responsible for 
conduct here ; and will naturally lead to defined 
views of moral obligation, — these being always 
referred for their origin, as well as for their court 
of appeal, to the divine precepts of the Bible. 

By the influence of these principles the natural 
temper and disposition will be controlled and di- 
rected. We have elsewhere defined temper to be 
the expression of that agency which is excited by 
the physical temperament upon the intellectual 
manifestations ; while disposition forms the sum and 
general result of those mental attributes which are 
constituted by the intellectual faculties and the 
passions. 

Here again, we must ask, what it is which con- 
stitutes the aptitude for the exhibition of particular 



40 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

disposition ? This manifestly consists in those or- 
ganic peculiarities, which are the gifts of nature, 
and which require to be sedulously watched- — to be 
fostered on the one hand, or placed under the 
dominion of counteracting principle on the other ; 
for it must never be forgotten that this original 
tendency will be developed by early culture; — that 
it may be strengthened by education — heightened 
by indulgence — augmented by long-continued habit 
— and indefinitely applied, through the influence 
of youthful prejudice. 

Hence, the very great importance of giving a 
correct bias to the first manifestations of conduct ; 
hence the necessity for placing education under the 
government of reason and principle ; — hence the 
duty of directing and setting bounds to the indul- 
gence of any particular feeling or emotion ; — hence 
the rigid scrutiny which must be kept upon every 
occasion for sustained action ; — and hence the 
infinite importance of securing early prejudice on 
the side of reason, religion, and virtue. 

In a well-regulated mind these will always go hand 
in hand ; for there are no greater mysteries in re- 
ligion, than in every department of nature's extended 
domain — even in that with which we ourselves are 
closely surrounded. All its requirements are most 
rational, and calculated to develope the powers of 
intelligence ; and when the one has been received 
by the other, with a heart desirous of doing the 
will and obeying the laws of the moral Governor 
of the universe, the fruits of virtue must be the 
consequence. The seeds of piety placed in the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 41 

bosom of rational man, when assisted by the care- 
ful cultivation of education, and watered by the 
dews of heaven, must vegetate — must progress 
towards maturity — must produce the buds and 
blossoms of early rectitude of principle — and must 
be followed by the flowers of social and relative 
goodness, as well as by the fruits of practical 
benevolence, till having been ripened by time, the 
harvest has come, and the shock of well-loaded 
corn has been reaped, and gathered into the garner 
of the lord of the harvest. 

But we may not expect to reap the harvest, 
unless we prepare the soil, and secure it from the 
encroachment of enemies ;— unless we encourage 
the growth of virtuous principles, and cultivate the 
better feelings of our nature, while we carefully 
repress and eradicate those vices and passions 
which are always of rapid growth, and which 
would, if possible, overwhelm all that is valuable 
in man, and leave him the debased slave of his 
organisation and appetites. 

Perhaps we ought not to quit this part of our 
subject without one word on the question of 
genius, that much-disputed and ill-understood 
phenomenon, the existence of which is denied by 
some, and to which a most undue importance is 
attached by others. The preceding observations 
will have already indicated our view of this sub- 
ject. We think the term genius admits of an 
easy explanation by viewing it, as consisting in a 
peculiar aptitude for the reception of particular 
ideas ; — -a quickness of perception as applied to 



42 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

specific objects; — a fervour of intellect, which 
catches at a glance the impression intended to be 
conveyed by certain modes of thought ; and which 
almost anticipates the pains which will be bestowed 
on its cultivation. It is then easily resolvable into 
a certain unknown condition of the cerebral organ, 
which it is ours to watch, and guard, and guide to 

BENEFICIAL RESULTS. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 43 



CHAPTER III. 

ON PHRENOLOGY IN CONNECTION WITH THE 
GENERAL SUBJECT. 

In a former page we have glanced at the subject 
of phrenology, or the science of discovering and 
apportioning to multifold organs the several mani- 
festations of mind ; but it is a question too in- 
timately connected with our present purpose, not 
to require more serious discussion, and a greater 
degree of calm investigation. 

We do not consider it as a question of great 
practical importance, in a work professing to trace 
the influence of the manifesting organ upon the 
manifestations of mind, whether the actual work 
is accomplished by a single organ capable of per- 
forming a variety of functions, or by an assemblage 
of organs combined and united by one homoge- 
neous tissue, with a degree of intimacy which 
defies division, and with such inter-connexion, that 
each separate organ is cognisant of the operations 
of the whole, — provided that whole be held respon- 
sible for the actions of each individual part, as well 



44 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

as of that union, and concentration of actionSj which 
constitute the entire man. 

In this case, whether single or multiple, the 
organization is held in subjection to the presiding 
mind ; the animal is preserved in subordination to 
the spiritual being ; the former is the servant of 
the latter ; and the spiritual being is held respon- 
sible for all the actions and promptings of the 
lower propensities; and thus the question resolves 
itself into one of pure science. 

Still, as a question of science, without any visible 
practical bearing, it is one of considerable import- 
ance, because in itself truth is invaluable, and is 
therefore worthy to be ascertained at some con- 
siderable trouble : knowledge is power ; and the 
certainty that the scientific views from which our 
practical deductions flow are correct, gives a con- 
fidence to our belief, and the consequent setting 
forth of our principles, which cannot fail to impress 
character upon action. Besides, it so generally 
happens, that a more intimate acquaintance with 
the composition of bodies, which before we have 
been accustomed to view as simple and elemen- 
tary, brings to light qualities, and relationships, 
and affinities, and aptitudes, of which we were 
previously ignorant ; — and w 7 hich now shed a new r 
light upon various facts, and circumstances, and 
actions ; — and do actually confer a greater power 
to think correctly, and to act benevolently. 

Hence this question may assume an importance 
which we do not at first sight perceive. We are 
quite certain, with regard to many physical bodies 



OF BODY AND MIND. 45 

formerly deemed simple and elementary, which 
the progress of science has since shown to be com- 
pounded, that almost in every instance the dis- 
covery of their composition has been followed, in 
numberless ways, by new practical applications of 
things, previously limited within a certain given 
circle, and by some new blessings to mankind* 
And, indeed, in the present instance, if it were 
possible to discover, from the external configuration, 
the several aptitudes for mental manifestation ; 
and by it to ascertain more than careful observation 
upon such early buddings of mental manifestation, 
assisted by physiognomy, could give ; if it were 
possible thus to ascertain the propensities, and thus 
to educate certain organs, and to repress certain 
others, — to stimulate the one, and soothe the 
other, — to foster the growth of one set of manifes- 
tations, and stunt the progress of another, it is very 
certain that a great point would have been gained 
towards the happiness and well-being of a spiritual 
creature, destined for immortality, and placed here 
in a probationary state of existence. 

The question is therefore one which requires to 
be considered with sobriety and judgment ; and 
we would be most anxious to separate the errors 
and follies of the votaries of phrenology, and even 
the occasional absurdity of its details, as enforced 
by such votaries from the doctrine itself. In the 
following observations, it is truth which we would 
seek, and not the establishment of our own 
opinion ! and we trust that, whether we are right 
or wrong now, the truth will ultimately prevail. 



46 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

It is true, that in the circle of our own observa- 
tion we have met with some startling facts in 
favour of the doctrine ; and it is equally true that 
we have met with other facts of a precisely oppo- 
site nature, and with instances of the most signal 
failure, even in Dr. Spurzheim himself. It is also 
true that one failure will invalidate a great number 
of successful results, because, if the doctrine be not 
generally applicable to the great mass of mankind, 
it is, in fact, inapplicable. But in all fairness, we 
would give phrenologists the benefit of two circum- 
stances ; first, the want of perfection in a doctrine 
comparatively novel, and dependent, essentially 
dependent for support, upon a great variety of ob- 
servations: and, secondly, we would not charge 
upon the doctrine, the ignorance, the want of skill, 
the hasty judgment, the precipitate conclusions, 
and the wretched credulity of many of its pro- 
fessors. 

But we would ask, in return for this courtesy, 
less arrogant assumption on the part of phreno- 
logists ; a greater degree of modesty and diffidence 
in drawing their conclusions ; and a larger amount 
of toleration towards the prejudices, — it may be 
the stupid, but the well-intentioned prejudices of 
their adversaries. It always argues badly for a 
cause, when it is supported by vehement assertion ; 
by irritable impatience of contradiction ; by over- 
weening confidence of being right ; and by a want 
of forbearance towards those, who may not be so 
quick-sighted as themselves, and who, from their 
attachment to earlier notions, may not be able 



OF BODY AND MIND. 47 

readily to supersede the influence of pristine habits 
of thought and modes of feeling ; nay, perhaps too, 
of some peculiarity of physical temperament, if not 
of phrenological organization itself. 

There is another important ground for this dis- 
cussion, and that is, the bearing which it has upon 
moral accountability. If the doctrine be held as 
we have stated it, it is evident, that the question of 
unity or plurality of organ is unimportant, and that 
each must be equally tried on its own merits, in 
reference to the influence of cerebral peculiarity 
upon the manifestation of mind ; while each is 
equally allied to, or equi-distant from, the doc- 
trines of materialism, — a question which will come 
under our notice in a future chapter. 

But it cannot be denied, that the natural ten- 
dency of phrenology, on minds not instructed to 
the contrary, is, that man is the creature of his 
organization ; that he is what he is, because he can- 
not help it, and because of the predominance of 
certain organs ; and that if responsible at all for his 
errors, they should be looked upon with a very 
venial eye, where the temptation on one side was 
so strong, and the power of opposition on the other 
was so weak ; nor can it still further be denied, 
that such consequences have been held by some of 
its professors. 

The practical application (Ws-application, if you 
please) of this doctrine has been lately shown in 
the horrible tenets of socialism. These pages may 
not be sullied by a transcription of its blasphemies 
and impurities ; certain it is that the doctrines and 



48 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

practice of socialism strike at the very framework 
of society, — that they uproot every social and 
domestic tie—that they destroy all moral account- 
ability — that they overturn the most dearly-che- 
rished institutions of religion and virtue — that 
they proclaim the omnipotence of inclination, and 
declare that man is responsible only to himself — 
that his first duty is to obey the promptings of his 
organization, — to listen to the voice of passion, and 
to gratify such passion at any cost, reckless of 
consequences, unmindful of law, human or divine, 
and careless of futurity. Certain it is, also, 
that the doctrines of phrenology are appealed 
to in evidence of the truth of these abominable 
conclusions. 

It is indeed allowed, that every good is liable to 
abuse ; and we would not argue against the useful 
application of a doctrine from its abuse, in the 
hands of wicked men ; and it has been said, that if 
phrenology be true, it is impossible that it can lead 
to anything bad, as materialism, fatalism, irreligion, 
&c. And this is true, and might be employed in 
argument, if the doctrines of phrenology had been 
thoroughly proven, and rested on irrefragable 
grounds. But, pendente lite, it is not fair to employ 
this as an argument, because it is assuming'the point 
in dispute as settled beyond the possibility of ques- 
tion. And when any new doctrine is propounded, 
which confessedly must exert a considerable influ- 
ence on society, it is not unfair — on the contrary, 
it is the part of a wise, and prudent, and cautious, 
and scientific philosopher, to ask himself, " whither 



OF BODY AND MIND. 49 

are these speculations leading me ? Are they con- 
ducting to good or evil? Is their influence pro- 
pitious to virtue, and the general good of mankind, 
or the contrary ? Do they support, or do they con- 
travene, the great truths of revealed religion and 
moral action, or do they not ? Because if they do 
not support what is so indispensable to man's hap- 
piness and welfare, they cannot be true ! So we 
see, that the argument in favour of phrenology 
drawn from its truth, before that truth has been 
demonstrated, is overwhelmed by the converse pro- 
position, that if the doctrine lead to practical error, 
it cannot be speculatively true ; and it is wise and 
prudent to be satisfied on this head. 

Nor indeed do we quite see how such conclusions 
are avoidable, if the manifestations of mind are 
traced upwards from the lowest and most imperfect, 
to the highest and most perfect developement of the 
nervous system ; except by supposing, for man, the 
superaddition of an immortal spiritual principle, 
which is certainly not generally admitted by phre- 
nologists. If the mind of man, and the mind of 
the horse or the dog, be of the same order, only 
that one has a larger brain and a greater number of 
organs # than the other, the responsibilities of each 
would be the same, according to their relative op- 
portunities of cerebral action. Now, no one would 

* It would perhaps be difficult to calculate what size of brain 
man should possess, and what should be the number of his organs 
in proportion to his sphere, when we find, in a recent phrenolo- 
gical work of high character, twenty-eight organs in the skull 
of a goose, ten of which are in the forehead. 

E 



50 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be so absurd, as to make the horse or the dog re- 
sponsible for their actions as moral accountable 
creatures ; but if not, there is no reason, according 
to phrenologists, why man should be held respon- 
sible for his actions. And if man ceases to be re- 
sponsible for his conduct, there is an end of the 
social compact ; while the hopes of an hereafter are 
upon a level with the prospect of to-morrow's 
joys. 

The positive establishment of this view, by any 
phrenologist, and the natural, unsophisticated, or, 
perhaps rather, the unguarded tendency of the doc- 
trine being in this direction, it does become, not 
only important but indispensable, that we should 
view it in its practical bearing. We give to its 
professors the full meed of industry ; we allow that 
they have added many facts to our anatomical 
knowledge ; we believe in their sincerity and in- 
tegrity, so far as they think they are promoting the 
interests of science : but if we believe that they 
have reasoned incorrectly, we trust that we shall 
be listened to with indulgence, while we endeavour 
to point out that fallacy. 

It has been alleged against phrenologists, that 
they make the size of the organ the measure of its 
functional power. This, however, is so certainly 
untenable, that it has been qualified by the modi- 
fying explanation, that it is so " cceteris paribus." 
Now, at first sight, this seems to get rid of the dif- 
ficulty, for it is to be acknowledged, that where 
nature has sought to accomplish any single great 
object, it is to be effected by a comparatively large 



OF BODY AND MIND. 51 

organ. But it is also true, that where great power 
and facility of action are to be obtained at the same 
time, it is generally secured by a number of minute 
organs, whose united sum of function makes up the 
amount required ; and therefore, to those who 
doubt the organic divisibility of the brain, it is 
unconvincing to descant on supposed analogies, 
which to them do not appear analogous, and which 
do not, consequently, seem to possess even the weak 
support to the doctrine, which analogy at its very 
best would confer. 

Still further, with regard to size, being cceteris 
paribus the measure of functional power, perhaps 
we might not object to this position : but if it 
be true, of what avail is phrenology ? Because, if 
a small organ of a superior quality can give result- 
ing power far greater than a large organ of in- 
ferior quality, of what avail is the test of organic 
developement ? Now, this we most confidently be- 
lieve, that there shall be two precisely similar 
external configurations ; yet, that the two brains 
shall possess tissues so dissimilar, as greatly to 
modify the mental manifestations. We find these 
differences perpetually in nature ; as, for instance, 
in the countenance of the sheep — in the human 
voice, or the handwriting of the same classes in 
society : the organs of speech, and the human hand, 
are constituted with reference to a great degree of 
exactitude, yet nothing can be more dissimilar 
than the expression of the resulting function. And, 
again, everybody knows that it is not the largest 

e 2 



52 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

muscles which possess the greatest amount of 
energy, or can be relied upon for the exertion of 
sustained power. 

But with regard particularly to this " locus 
stantis vel cadentis argumenti," set up by the 
two little terms, — though confessedly of extensive 
signification, — " cceteris paribus ," what, may we ask, 
is to be the standard of comparison by which we 
may judge of what size should be the organic deve- 
lopement in brains which possess a certain amount of 
energy of function, independent of such develope- 
ment ? Who first is to decide as to the general 
amount of intellectual calibre, and to what test is it 
to be referred, if the organic test, which has been 
shown insufficient for the purpose, is to be given 
up ? Is the measure of function, in relation to its 
organic developement, to be referred to some general 
standard, chosen from a great variety of experi- 
ments on the same class of society ? Or, is the 
relative size to be determined in every instance by 
a reference to the other developements in the same 
individual, and to the amount of their employment ? 
If so, who is to be the judge? Who shall deter- 
mine either the general or the local energy of func- 
tion, except by knowledge of character from expe- 
rience ? And if this be necessary, which it unques- 
tionably is, the science of phrenology is useless, 
because, after all, to determine the value of organic 
developement, it is necessary to be acquainted with 
the previous history of the individual, in order to 
ascertain what are the ccetera pares. In fact, the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 53 

other conditions of the brain, which modify the 
organic developement, independent of disease, can- 
not be taught by phrenology. 

In conducting this discussion, we must say a 
few words on the subject of the mind of the lower 
animals. 

By the term mind, as it is to be now employed, we 
intend a certain assemblage of phenomena, pos- 
sessed in a greater or less degree by the lower 
animals in common with man, and which result 
from the employment of the brain. 

These phenomena do not originate from mecha- 
nical agency \ Mere machinery can perform only 
definite movements, which may be calculated upon 
under all circumstances, so long as the machine 
continues in action, and is unbroken. The products 
of animal mind, on the contrary, cannot be calcu- 
lated upon, and manifestly differ very materially in 
individuals of the same species. 

We perceive in animals the possession of certain 
operations inconsistent with the idea of unvarying 
action as resulting from machinery. We discover, 
indeed, the exercise of certain faculties, which go 
on independently of themselves, or of their will, 
viz. the functions of organic life ; but we perceive, 
also, another set of functions, by which animals 
deliberate, remember, will, choose, love, hate, &c, 
and these are the operations of mind. 

In every instance we shall find, that mind is 
suited to the wants and habits of the animal ; and 
that it possesses precisely that degree of developement, 
which is necessary to fit it for its position in creation, 



54 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

to preserve it from its enemies, and to enable it to 
do precisely what is required of it, in order to 
accomplish certain ends, which form a part of the 
grand scheme of the government of the universe ; 
and this is demonstrated from the lowest created 
being, up to spiritual man, destined for immor- 
tality. 

The carrying out of this principle will lead to a 
solution of the problem, why man has so much 
larger an amount of mind than other animals, 
even to enable him to fulfil the intentions of his 
Creator ; an amount of mind which would be quite 
unnecessary, if the present scene of his labours 
terminated his existence ; and if he were not des- 
tined to live eternally in that spiritual principle, 
which has been superadded to his animal mind ; and 
thus man has precisely that degree of developement 
of brain and mind, which is necessary for his posi- 
tion in creation ; and which he requires for the 
fulfilment of his duties in society, and his prepara- 
tion for immortality. 

To return to the mind of animals : we notice the 
exhibition of mental phenomena; and as these 
must have had an origin, a moving power, we 
reason backward to the existence of animal mind, in 
a degree and proportion according to the organisa- 
tion of the animal, which again is admirably suited 
to the fulfilment of designs apportioned by the 
Great Governor of the universe. 

Mind, therefore, is understood to be a mono- 
syllabic expression of phenomena, which result from 
the employment of the brain. In this case, brain 



OF BODY AND MIND. 55 

is not mind, any more than digestion is stomach ; 
mind is the resulting function, and not synonymous 
with the material substance from which it emanates. 
This function is not dependent for its integrity or 
extent upon the absolute size of the organ ; as, for 
instance, in the amount of mind exhibited by the 
bee, the ant, the wasp, and other insects, which is 
far greater than is shown by many other animals 
occupying, apparently, a more important position 
with regard to the size of their nervous system. 

It must be remembered, that if this be true, as 
to the phenomena resulting from what phrenologists 
would call an assemblage of organs ; so must it be 
equally true with regard to each organ from the 
union of which that assemblage is composed ; and, 
therefore, the activity of function displayed by any 

ONE ORGAN, HAS NO POSITIVE RELATION TO ITS 
SIZE. 

The important question of instinct naturally pre- 
sents itself, at the outset of an inquiry of this kind ; 
and especially in relation to the remarkable fact, 
that man has very few instincts as compared with 
other animals abstractedly ; and infinitely fewer, as 
compared with his importance in the scale of being. 
The reason is obviously that which we have 
before given, viz., that the mind is suited to the 
exigencies of the animal ; instinct being, in a word, 
that knowledge which has been imparted to the 
animal, prior to education, and which, without 
thought, fits it immediately for its peculiar posi- 
tion in the world. But when there is much reason, 



56 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

more especially when conduct is to be based on 
moral motive, there will be less room for instinct. 

Instincts are oftentimes independent of any pecu- 
liar organisation of the brain, and arising out of the 
organisation of the animal generally. In the brain, 
however, will be always found a peculiar adaptation 
to that instinct or imparted knowledge, which fits it 
for its position in animated nature. This is seen in 
the familiar instance of the fondness of the duck- 
ling for water y an instinct precisely suited to the 
organisation of its foot. 

But if instincts exist, under some circumstances, 
for which there is no peculiar cerebral structure } 
it will follow, that even in the lower animals there 
is a principle superadded to brain, which prepares 
it for the original design of the Creator. And if 
so, there is nothing unreasonable in the position, 
that in man, the highest order of created intel- 
ligence, a more important, immaterial, and im- 
mortal principle has been superadded to his orga- 
nisation, existing independently of that organisa- 
tion, except as the medium for its manifestations ; 
and suitable to its continued existence, after the death 
of this temporary building ! This principle gives 
laws to his organisation, so that he differs from the 
lower animals, not only in the number and degree 
of his moral feelings and intellectual powers, which 
he possesses in common with them, and in the 
smaller amount of instinct or imparted knowledge 
which has been given him ; but in the superior 
power of the will, that will being at the same time 
placed under the guidance of higher reasoning 



OF BODY AND MIND. 57 

faculties, and of greater knowledge — with religious 
sanctions precisely in accordance with the revela- 
tion of his future destinies. The analogy of nature 
in every department generally indicates original 
tendencies undennable and imperceptible, except 
by their resulting effects, and to manifest these ten- 
dencies, appropriate organisations are bestowed 
upon different individuals ; phrenologists, on the 
contrary, confound the cause and the effect. 

The free will of animals seems to occupy a very 
limited range ; and, upon reflection, it will at once 
be perceived, that so it should be, in conformity 
with their organisation — their wants — their desires 
— the position they have to fill — the duties they 
have to perform — and their individual responsi- 
bilities. 

The free will of man, on the contrary, appears to 
himself to be absolute; the conviction of liberty of 
conduct on his part is perfect ; and as he is con- 
stituted by nature, it is clear that it should be so, 
in order to secure his responsibility ; and that 
without this power of selection, and of determining 
his own choice, he would possess no prospect of 
happiness. 

In every instance free will is bounded by know- 
ledge imparted or acquired, and by implanted desires. 
Little knowledge has been imparted to the lower 
animals, constituting instinct, therefore freedom of 
will is limited : much has been given to man, 
therefore his freedom of will is apparently absolute. 
This view will account for many disputes on the 
subject of free will, and for many seeming disere- 



58 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

pancies of conduct in man, and for his not choosing 
good in preference to evil. It is, that his nature 
has been subjected to some debasing change, which 
has limited his will to choose good, or has rather 
given him a propensity to choose evil ; and that there 
is a great absence of the desire to do good. Thus, 
man by nature is a free agent ; but the propensity 
to choose evil has taken away from the perfection 
of this power ; and he is now dependent, for the 
just exercise of this property, upon a new desire 
implanted by the Holy Spirit of God, from whom 
" all just works do come." Thus he is free to choose 
evil or good ; he is prone to the former from his 
corrupted nature ; he can only be equal to the 
latter, through the desire implanted by Divine 
Grace. 

Much apprehension has been entertained by 
many well-meaning persons on the subject of allow- 
ing to animals any other mind than that of instinct 
alone, from a trembling anxiety, lest the mind of 
man, and of animals, should be held to approximate 
so closely, as almost to amalgamate, or at least to 
originate from the same source ; thus depriving man 
of moral accountability for his actions, and causing 
them to originate in mere structure. 

But this is a groundless fear, and productive of 
much error; it is groundless, because, in truth, the 
mental manifestations of both man and animals are ex- 
hibited through the same organ; and, to a certain ex- 
tent, partake of the same nature ; but are precisely 
suited to the situation and destination of each ; the 
latter (animal mind) being exactly adapted to the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 59 

several peculiarities of his station in animated ex- 
istence ; and the former to his intellectual and 
social nature — to his accountability for his actions- — 
to his moral and religious character — to his posses- 
sion of a new principle, a spiritual and immortal 
soul — and to the future destiny of that soul in a 
state of rewards and punishments. 

It is possible that St. Paul, when he makes the 
distinction between " body, soul, and spirit," really 
contemplated the entire truth, and spoke of man, as 
possessing a body, and a soul, or mind, in common 
with the other higher animals, adapted to their 
several designed mental manifestations ; but that 
man (the highest animal) obtained also a super- 
added principle, here called spirit, for the purpose 
of showing forth those moral, spiritual, religious 
phenomena, which arise, or should have arisen, 
from the original design of the Creator. In this 
case, there may be more or less of mental manifes- 
tation in the other animals, according to the pecu- 
liar grade of each ; but there is no moral or spiri- 
tual manifestation, except where man shows the in- 
fluence of his superadded principle or spirit. 

A contrary position is also productive of error , 
because it asks too much ; and because the facts of 
the case are so directly opposed to the proposition, 
as to throw discredit even upon truth, by endea- 
vouring to encumber it with that which is not 
true ; and this gives the "vantage ground " to scep- 
ticism and infidelity. 

Now the simple truth is, that animals not only 
perceive by the senses, and that this perception acts 



60 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

upon the stores of instinct, or imparted knowledge, 
suitable to their varying wants ; but, also, that they 
possess a different degree of intelligence, and that they 
exercise such an amount of reasoning upon it, as to 
render their instinctive knowledge applicable under 
changing circumstances. It is also clear, that 
animals observe minutely, while it is manifest that 
this faculty of observation would be comparatively 
useless without the memory of recorded associations ; 
and it is a fact, that their recollection is of the most 
vivid character, being, however, the result of ex- 
ternal circumstances exclusively. There are few 
persons who have not experienced the advantage 
and disadvantage of these mental properties in the 
horse ; the former as committing themselves con- 
fidingly to the safe conduct of their animal under dif- 
ferent trying circumstances, when they themselves 
were no longer able to direct his movements ; and 
the latter, if they had unguardedly whipped their 
steed, for starting at some fearful object, and found, 
for a long time afterwards, that he would start ten- 
fold at the same object, from the first impression of 
fear being associated with, and multiplied by the 
recollection of his chastisement, and by the reflec- 
tion of increased terror arising out of this com- 
bination. 

But if animals observe well, remember accurately, 
reason upon their self-recorded observations, and 
act upon the results, surely we have here a number 
of mental phenomena, as thought, and reflection, 
comparison, selection, combination, inference, 
choice, or will ; and all these we find exercised in 






OF BODY AND MIND. 61 

numberless instances. Their foresight of weather, 
and their defence of themselves from its approach- 
ing severity ; and their skill and ingenuity shown 
in the infinite variety of arrangement for their 
nests, the construction of their habitations, and 
other preparations for the care of their young ; the 
choice of situation for these several purposes, and 
the varied methods for the protection of their off- 
spring from enemies, are all proofs of contrivance, 
and of reasoning, which cannot be gainsayed nor 
disproved. 

But if so, we arrive at the conclusion, that the 
same leading principles are found in the mental 
manifestations of either, only adapted to their pecu- 
liar structure, and for the purpose of gaining cer- 
tain definite ends ; these ends being always suited to 
the different purposes of their being, and having 
always reference to the termination of that being, 
final in the ordinary animal, and therefore irrespec- 
tive of conduct ; not terminal in man, because his 
is a higher destiny — his a higher position on earth ; 
and because he is especially created to show forth 
the attributes of God as they are revealed to us, 
while the animal of a lower grade only illustrates 
Ms Creator, as respects natural religion. 

One other observation only on this subject, viz. 
on the susceptibility of animals to education. The 
greater part of their knowledge is instinctive, or 
imparted, yet they can, and when domesticated 
they must, be educated. We do not speak of 
learned pigs, &c. ; but of education, in their own 
relative position, as it is very clearly set forth in the 



62 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

history of the horse, or the dog, &c. For instance, 
each requires to be broke or educated, in order to 
render his instinctive knowledge and natural 
powers available for the purposes of man. 

Before continuing our researches on the phreno- 
logical question, we remark, that it must be ad- 
mitted by all, that the texture, and composition, 
and function of nerves, are really unknown to us, 
and therefore we possess no means of judging of 
their organic distinctions or peculiarities. We 
cannot, in this way at least, undertake to say, that 
there is a difference between one portion of the 
same substance of the brain, and another portion, 
so as to establish a cognizable distinction. We do 
not rely upon this argument, because we cannot 
trace the reason why any one portion, or the whole 
of the nervous system performs its function: and 
we mention it only as a negative fact, that phreno- 
logists, though they refer to external prominences, 
as resulting from corresponding organic develope- 
ment, yet do not attempt to show, upon the disen- 
cased brain, where one organ begins, or another 
terminates, — nor, indeed, to localize the organs at 
all ; much less to inform us how to distinguish an 
organ of great power and activity from one of less 
power and action, the degree of magnitude being the 
same in both cases. 

All we really know upon this subject is, that there 
is a certain degree of uniformity of structure, in the 
nervous system, from the lowest to the highest 
order of animated existence, and that in the verte- 
brated animals, this consists of a brain and spinal 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



63 



marrow ; the former more particularly devoted to 
the senses and intellectual phenomena ; the latter 
being especially employed for locomotive and 
organic life. 

This system is gradually perfecting up to the 
highest order of created intelligence — man : but 
between him and the most intelligent of the inferior 
animals, there is a grand hiatus, which does not 
admit of gradation ; a step which shows that man is 
not only the perfection of an oran outang, but that 
he is altogether a different being ; that is to say, 
that he has become a spiritual creature, that upon 
him has been lavished a new creation, suited to his 
destiny and necessary to his moral responsible exist- 
ence, viz. a spiritual and immortal soul. 

One word on the subject of the idiot ; and under 
this term I propose comprehending those who are 
very deficient in intellect, as well as those who are 
absolutely incapable of knowing right from wrong. 
In this class of unfortunate beings, there are some 
whose organisation is so defective, that from their 
birth it has been suspected they would grow up 
incapable of taking care of themselves ; there are 
others who originally exhibited an ordinary degree 
of mental developement, but in whom its traces have 
been obliterated by, an attack of convulsions, or 
some such fearful bodily ailment ; there are others, 
who have experienced some violent mental emotion, 
and in whom all trace of intelligence has been 
swept away by one desolating storm ; and there 
are those, in whom no defective organisation has 



64 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

been noticed, but with whom the power of employ- 
ing the brain has seemed never to exist, the 
essential connecting link between body and mind 
having been wanting ; so that there have been no 
mental manifestations, yet no apparent ground for 
their absence. 

On the contrary, in some rare instances, an acci- 
dent, a blow, a fall, some acute malady, some 
overwhelming emotion, has given such a stimulus 
to the cerebral fibre, that mental energy has taken 
the place of imbecility, and the fool has been 
reinstated in all the powers and privileges of the 
man. 

It is obvious, that these circumstances, which are 
abundantly explained by considering the brain as 
the single organ of mind, are not to be accounted 
for thus easily by the supposition of its plurality ; 
because, in that case, the want of developement 
within, or the destroying impression from without, 
should have been exhibited on particular organs 
only ; and, above all, the existence of organic de- 
velopement without a corresponding display of func- 
tion, is so fatal to the hypotheses of phrenology, that 
the occurrence of such instances has been attempted 
to be denied : still that they do occur, is borne 
out by the recorded experience of our lunatic 
asylums. 

There is also great difference in the capacity of 
different brains for carrying on the mental pro- 
cesses ; we are accustomed to say, and very justly, 
that their minds are of a different calibre, although 



OF BODY AND MIND. 65 

there shall seem to be the same degree of organic 
developement. The brain shall appear to be the 
same ; yet one has the power of a giant, the other 
of a pigmy. Hence we infer, 

First, that though the brain be the organ of 
thought, yet the generation of thought, the nature 
and quality of thought, and the aptitude for its em- 
ployment, are not dependent upon the quantum of 
brain, not upon any demonstrable property of the 
nervous fibre. 

Secondly, neither is the reach of mental mani- 
festation dependent upon the perfection of the 
senses ; for although these form the inlet for a 
great variety of ideas, yet it will often be found, that 
the power of abstraction and combiuation of thought 
generally, is greatest in those whose senses are 
not eminently developed ; and, on the contrary, 
there will often be the least mental developement, 
where there is the greatest power and acuteness of 
the senses, as is manifestly the case with the Indian 
tribes. 

Thirdly, great bodily and great mental power 
are rarely met with in the same individual, and it 
commonly happens, that where there is much in- 
tellectual activity, there is a feebleness of vital 
power about the brain, which confirms the position 
that the capacity for thought is dependent rather 
upon some unknown peculiarity of the cerebral fibre, 
than upon its quantity, or cognizable structure. It 
is supposed that a tendency towards water on the 
brain is accompanied usually by a premature deve- 

F 



66 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

lopement of thought and feeling. But this is not 
true ; it is the too great action of thought and feel- 
ing wich overturns the balance of health, and pro- 
duces or rather calls upon the brain for so much 
vascular action to support it, that the organ receives 
more blood than it knows how to dispose of ; the 
balance of the circulation is overturned, irritation is 
set up, and effusion takes place by a sort of natural 
effort to relieve the vascular tension. 

A question will very properly present itself here, 
as to the mode by which this variation of mental 
calibre is to be accounted for. It is obvious, that 
many striking talents will depend upon some pecu- 
liarity in the organs of sense ; but the marked 
quickness of association in one ; the depth of rea- 
soning in another ; the strength of judgment in a 
third ; the power of comprehension in a fourth ; 
the capacity for minute and accurate details in a 
fifth ; the habits of observation and reflection in a 
sixth ; and the power of combination in a seventh ; 
though they may be influenced by the quantum of 
blood received and distributed under given circum- 
stances, are really explicable only on the supposition 
of the existence of some peculiarity in the cerebral 
fibre. 

We also notice here, that there are many im- 
portant functions of the brain, to which no 
organ has been allotted ; as, for instance, con- 
sciousness, perception, reason, &c. And it is clear 
that no organ will be charged with these important 
functions, because they do not chance to be distri- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 67 

bu table, yet there can be no good reason why a 
separate organ should not be allowed them, as 
well as to hope, fear, benevolence, and religion. 

If a contrary process were adopted by phreno- 
logists, it would be'fatal to their doctrines ; for then 
not only would each prominence be the centre of 
one peculiar faculty, but there would be certain 
projections which must constitute so many centres 
of individual existence ; and life would be spent, 
identity would be lost, and all that is valuable 
would be merged, in the conflict for power, between 
these several existences. 

It is not to be believed, that there can be separate 
organic fibres for the production of benevolence, 
hope, fear, joy, and sorrow — sense of duty to God, 
&c. ; these are all the result of spiritual actions, 
which are hidden in the deep recesses of the indi- 
vidual, and which are manifested to us through the 
organ of mind, the servant of the spiritual principle, 
modified indeed by the peculiarities of its structure, 
and of various causes operating upon it, but not 
exhibited through one chosen spot. 

It becomes us then to inquire into the influence 
of this original constitution ; and of various other 
causes acting upon the brain. 

No reasonable person can doubt, that there are 
original differences of mental constitution ; and 
these distinctions exist in different children of the 
same parents ; so that not only varieties, but 
dissimilarities, and even antipodes, occur in the 
same family, and under the same system of edu- 
cation. 

f 2 



68 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

These distinctions exist anteriorly to mental cul- 
ture ; they are to be noticed with the earliest dawn 
of passion and emotion ; the first scintillations of 
intellect will denote the source whence they are 
derived, and will exhibit peculiarities which subse- 
quent education will not obliterate and scarcely 
control, but which will tinge the character for 
life. It is not always true, that " fortes creantur 
fortibus et bonis;" but it is true, on the contrary, 
that mental differences in the offspring from their 
parents do often exist, and are to be found under 
very great apparent similarities of organisation. 

We do not conceive that this fact can be accounted 
for but by the supposition, that the Creator, the 
Lord and Giver of Jife, dispenses talent as it pleases 
Him, and confers peculiarities which are not trace- 
able to organisation, but the manifestation of which 
may be influenced both by moral and physical 
conditions. And we perceive the design of these 
peculiarities, in enabling each individual better to 
fulfil the duties of that station in life, which ha g 
been previously selected for him by an unerring 
Providence. 

Granting this, it is equally true, that there exist 
certain other differences of mental manifestation, 
which are dependent upon bodily organisation, which 
are not produced by education or imitation, and 
which are oftentimes handed down from parent to 
child through many generations ; these peculiarities 
are very markedly apparent under the influence of 
certain conditions of the brain ; and their mani- 
festation is greatly modified by these conditions. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 69 

This manifestation will be modified by cerebral 
developement, and especially by its age. In early 
life, the manifestations of mind are few and feeble ; 
bodily pleasure or bodily uneasiness seems to be its 
first expression, and is thus limited to the wants 
and desires of the animal. The recognition of 
those with whom it is associated, and from whom it 
is receiving constant kindnesses, appears to be the 
next link in the chain of developement ; and, as 
arising out of this, the emotion of gratitude and 
affection. Afterwards the growth of the affective 
faculties s and of emotions and passions arising out 
of selfishness, claim the precedence over every other 
principle, and for a very long time give the tinge 
of their predominance to mental manifestation. 

The intellectual faculties are of far slower 
growth, and require a longer period, as well as the 
graduated process of education, for their develope- 
ment. These also are tinged, in early life, by the 
prevalence of passion ; or they are characterized 
by imagination rather than by judgment, and are 
marked by activity rather than by vigour. It 
should seem that the brain was naturally apt 
enough for the reception or expression of the sensi- 
tive faculties ; but that the manifestation of the in- 
tellectual powers and moral feelings was of a far 
more difficult order. 

Now, while it is allowed that this latter expres- 
sion is dependent upon the growth, maturity, or 
decay of the cerebral organ, the inquiry as to the 
cause of this difference is not without considerable 
interest ; since the one appears so easy, so natural ; 



70 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the other so difficult, so laborious. The true solu- 
tion of this problem is to be found in the fact, that 
the one has regard to the mere animal, and is 
therefore easy, while the other is dependent upon 
the spiritual nature to which the brain is subser- 
vient ; but to which, from some 'perverting cause, it 
has ceased to be a willing servant. It is obedient 
to all the animal impulses ; it is very loath to yield 
itself to the higher faculties of man's moral and 
social relationship. 

But we must carry our views a little further. 
As age advances and maturity is established, the 
brain has reached the maximum of its power ; 
reason is fully developed ; intellect has acquired its 
highest tone ; passion is subdued to the dominion 
of moral virtue ; judgment has obtained its ascen- 
dancy ; the full tide of mental power has reached 
its height ; and the light of reason is in the zenith 
of its strength. But this period passes away ; by 
slow, and generally imperceptible degrees, the brain 
loses first, elasticity, then power; the lessened 
buoyancy of mental operation first proclaims the 
change which age is about to produce ; a few more 
years, and power is perceptibly diminished ; energy 
of purpose and of execution give way to wayward- 
ness and irritability ; an impatience of difference of 
opinion is soon discernible ; narrow and confined 
views, tenaciously held, are exchanged for the pre- 
viously broad and ample basis of well-formed and 
enlarged opinion ; sinister influence is more easily 
exerted ; passion — the passion of old age — creeps 
upon the individual ; more and more power and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 71 

energy are lost, till by degrees the manifestations 
of the mind of man are darkened by the night, the 
pitiable night, of second childhood. 

There is a remarkable circumstance to be noticed 
in the history of cerebral action, viz. the change of 
opinion which we sometimes notice in a very ex- 
traordinary manner ; not that change which is 
effected by the slow agency of the causes to w T hich 
we have just adverted, but a comparatively sudden 
operation, occasioned sometimes by some physical 
cause influencing the brain, but much more fre- 
quently by a cause purely mental, acting either 
through the judgment or the passions. And this 
change is sometimes so marked and so sudden, as 
to be quite incompatible with any corresponding 
change in the fibres of the manifesting organ, and 
is only to be accounted for by the supposition of 
an altered action of the spiritual presiding prin- 
ciple. 

The change of which we speak, is quite inde- 
pendent of that gradual alteration which affects the 
brain, as well as every other organ, arising from the 
decay and renovation of its particles, which may 
operate the varieties in the habits of thought, 
and modes of judgment and expression which we 
have just before noticed ; and which is perfectly 
consistent with the continuance of personal identity, 
and with the entire mental conviction of being the 
same individual, and of a consciousness that the 
change is one of manifestation, and of the manifest- 
ing organ, not of the thinking, presiding, governing 
spirit. 



72 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

There are some other physical causes operating 
upon the brain, and its manifestations, which we 
must just notice. One of these is temperature. 
Every healthy person is conscious of being braced 
up by moderate cold, and of being relaxed by heat. 
Winter, therefore, is the time for study, provided 
that the body be kept moderately warm. The 
energy of the brain is increased by a certain degree 
of cold, and diminished by either extreme. In too 
great heat, the individual becomes oppressed, 
languid, and irritable ; and in too great cold, con- 
gestion and inaptitude for mental exertion take 
place ; the former state being probably dependent 
upon the immediate impression of heat upon the 
nervous fibre ; the latter being produced through 
the medium of the circulation. 

Atmospherical pressure, too, has probably a double 
agency ; it is only under high pressure that cere- 
bral phenomena go on, with the degree of elasticity 
requisite to ensure comfort. There is probably also, 
here, the double immediate agency upon the brain, 
and the intermediate operation through the vascular 
system. For as the venous circulation is dependent 
for its continuance almost entirely on atmospherical 
pressure; so, if that pressure be diminished, the 
circulation in the large sinuses of the brain will be 
impeded to such an extent, that there will be great 
inaptitude for mental exertion, and a consider- 
able degree of general languor and prostration of 
strength. 

It would appear, then, that both these causes 
operate upon the circulation of the blood, as well as 



OF BODY AND MIND. 73 

upon the nervous fibre. In all probability, mere 
movement in the brain, occasioned by the arterial 
action, has an important agency in keeping that 
organ in a healthy condition. But this action may 
be too great or too little ; the blood may be pro- 
pelled around its circle too rapidly, and then there 
exists excitement and over action ; or it may be re- 
turned from the brain too slowly, and then will be 
found a languor and feebleness of function, a pros- 
tration of cerebral energy, which is oftentimes very 
distressing to the patient, because it so generally 
wears the appearance of a moral feebleness of will. 

Over-action of the brain, and want of sufficient 
rest, will produce irritability ; a real loss of power, 
with a great appearance of action ; a state very 
generally leading to disorder of the bodily functions, 
and this, again, reacting injuriously upon the 
brain. 

When, however, the blood is not propelled to the 
brain with a sufficient degree of power, or when it 
is sent up in too large quantities, or when it is too 
slowly returned from the brain, there is an immediate 
loss of balance in the circulating system : the veins 
become loaded— congested ; there is first heaviness, 
then dulness, embarrassment ; and, finally, if not 
previously remedied, a cessation of action. And 
this may exist in various degrees, so as in many 
instances to escape detection, to be known only to 
the sufferer, and by him to be reasoned upon in- 
correctly, and attributed to anything but the right 
cause. 

Another physical agent operating upon the brain 



74 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

is nutrition ; like other organs, its fibres must be 
renewed ; its perfect nourishment is essential to its 
well-being. Unless it be adequately nourished, its 
excitability, or power of receiving impressions, is 
diminished, and its own interior actions are of a 
feebler character. 

A variety of stimuli act upon the brain, and act 
differently upon the brain of different persons, and 
even of the same person at different periods of life, 
under changed circumstances with regard to general 
health, action or inaction, freshness or exhaustion, 
in different conditions of the stomach, and under 
varying states of atmospherical electricity. 

Once more, various morbid states of the physique 
generally, operate principally upon the brain, and 
its manifestations of mental agency : these act pri- 
marily upon the organ itself, or sympathetically 
through the irritation of some distant viscus. There 
may be a suspension of action, as in fainting, or 
morbid sleep ; there may be excited action, as in 
enthusiasm ; there may be too great and exclusive 
attention to one object ; or there may be perversion 
of action, as in all the changing forms of insanity, 
from the first trace of eccentric movement to the 
total extinction of the character of man. 

Thus then we perceive, that no sensitive, no affec- 
tive emotion, no operation of intellect, no conscious- 
ness of being, in short, no manifestation of mind, can 
take place without the intervention of the brain ; and 
we perceive also, that this manifestation is modified 
by varying conditions of that organ immediately ; 
and intermediately, by many states of health or dis- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 75 

ease of body, as well as by different emotions, and 
principles, and thought, and reasoning, and compa- 
rison and judgment. 

But although, in order to the production of 
mental phenomena, there must be a certain condi- 
tion of the brain and nervous system, yet it would 
be illogical and absurd, and contrary to fact, 
to infer that the sentient principle resided in the 
nerves, or in the part first receiving the impression. 
The eye does not see, nor the ear hear, nor the 
tongue taste ; the impression is first made upon 
their nerves ; but the reception of that impression, 
and its being brought round to the thinking prin- 
ciple, is consciously, through an intermediate 
agency, and by a direct reference from the perci- 
pient organ, to the presiding mind : there appears, 
then, to be no necessary ground for the atomic divi- 
sion of the brain into many little specialties ; and, 
therefore, before closing this chapter, w^e must just 
notice a few of the arguments for and against the 
doctrines of phrenology. 

It has been said, that in order to produce various 
effects, nature has varied the material organ ; and, 
therefore, that it is reasonable to suppose she has 
done so with regard to the brain. But the contrary 
is the fact ; and it would be just as reasonable to 
suppose it necessary to have different eyes for the 
reception of impressions given by different colours, 
as to suppose it necessary to have different organs in 
the brain, for the developement of ideas produced 
by form and colour. As we have stated, the con- 
trary is really the fact ; for the tongue is the organ 



76 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of taste, as well as of every variety of language ; 
and the hand is not only the organ of touch, but 
also of prehension, and indication, and expres- 
sion, &c. 

Again, it is said, if the brain were a single organ, 
and one faculty only of that organ predominated, 
we should always discover the existence of high — 
perhaps too high — action, and yet we do not. But 
this conclusion is not necessary, because the one 
organ may posssess a peculiar aptitude for one func- 
tion more than for another ; and in such case, there 
is no necessity for high action in order to give pro- 
minence to the peculiar function. This by no 
means precludes the combination of high action with 
peculiar manifestation, but only decides that the 
one is not necessary to the other, which is the point 
in dispute. 

Another argument alleged by the supporters 
of phrenology, is, that when mental exertion has 
produced fatigue, this fatigue is removed by a 
change of subject for attention, or, as they would 
say, by the employment of another organ. But 
this again is by no means necessary, in order to 
secure the relief sought. In reading, for instance, 
one author may be studied till fatigue is the 
result, and that fatigue will be as effectually 
relieved by taking up a different author on the 
same subject, as it would by an entire change of 
the object, which had first occasioned fatigue, by 
the concentration of nervous energy upon it. 
Again, the intellectual powers have been wearied 
over one subject of scientific inquiry, and they are 



OF BODY AND MIND. 77 

as much relieved by changing the object of literary 
research, as by diverting the attention into an 
entirely new channel ; the same organs, speaking 
phrenologically, continue to be employed, and the 
relief is produced, notwithstanding, by a simple 
variation in the mode of attention. It is change of 
action which is the source of relief, not change of 
organ : even as, by one of nature's laws, it is easier 
to walk than to stand quite still ; or to have an in- 
finite number of successive actions of the same mus- 
cles, rather than sustained or continued action, 
even for a short time. Phrenology, therefore, 
gains no support from this supposed change of 
organ. 

A variety of arguments, however, have been ad- 
duced on the opposite side of the question, which 
it would be right briefly and candidly to notice. 

First, it has been said, that in some subject or 
other, almost every portion of the brain has been 
destroyed by accident, or lost by disease, or has 
been found defective, without any apparent corre- 
sponding change in the manifestations of mind. 
We would give phrenologists the full benefit of the 
answer to this argument, viz. that much of the con- 
necting tissue may have been lost or be defective 
under such circumstance, without involving the 
essential structure, the positive nervous fibres of 
any one particular organ , and also that this loss 
of cerebral substance, and any corresponding 
change of mental manifestation, may have yet 
escaped notice ; such is the habit of careless ob- 
servation among the generality of inquirers. Yet 



78 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

it must be allowed to be very remarkable, that a 
set of opposite facts have not been sustained by the 
phrenologists, in which such injuries have been 
followed by such changes. Until such facts have 
been produced in such a series as to warrant 
drawing inferences from them, the argument must 
be allowed to throw some kind of discredit on their 
very positive conclusions ; and we mention here 
this peculiarity of their conclusions, because it is an 
attribute which does not belong to profound science 
or deep investigation ; which does, on the contrary, 
attach to ignorance of scientific research ; and 
which, therefore, does always excite doubt and sus- 
picion in the minds of the most patient inves- 
tigators after truth. 

Secondly, as the same stomach receives and 
digests different kinds of food, and ultimately con- 
verts them also to the same elements of nourishment 
to the body, which again is distributed to a great 
variety of purposes ; so there can be no reason why 
the brain should not receive a great variety of 
notices, and refer them to the same presiding mind, 
which again distributes its notices, and issues its 
mandates to the several portions of its complex 
dominion. There is a perfect harmony and sim- 
plicity in this arrangement, which nothing can 
surpass, and towards the accomplishment of which 
there are no insurmountable difficulties. 

Thirdly, the same nerves are capable of a variety 
of functions ; as for instance, in receiving impres- 
sions, and conveying sensations to the brain ; and 
of communicating volition from the presiding mind, 



OF BODY AND MIND, 79 

through the brain to different parts of the animal 
economy. It is indeed true, that these two func- 
tions are believed to reside in different sets of fibres, 
the one conveying notices to the brain, and the 
other receiving such notices from that organ, and 
not capable of acting interchangeably. But if the 
same apparent fibres are capable of performing two 
such opposite functions, there can be no reason for 
supposing a probable necessity for that distinction 
of organs, which allots different fibres for the execu- 
tion of different and highly-divisible functions. 

Fourthly, the appearances of the skull are not to 
be relied upon, as giving indications of the pre- 
sence of certain organs ; for the following rea- 
sons : — 

a. The external prominences clo not always cor- 
respond with internal projections of the brain, but 
are occasioned by a different cause. 

b. The shape, and thicknesss, and texture of the 
skull, have reference to the greater or less liability 
of the several parts to pressure, or to blows from 
without, which might endanger the well-being of 
the sensorial organ; and also in some instances to 
the attachment of muscles. 

c. These appearances are oftentimes dependent 
upon their having formed centres of ossification 
for the bones of the cranium in early life. In com- 
pleting the ossification of the head, it is well known 
that nature has made beautiful provision for its 
early accomplishment, considering the extent of 
surface to be walled in. This must have been a 
very long process, if the radii of ossification had to 



80 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

shoot from one common centre to the entire circum- 
ference. Therefore nature has subdivided the 
work ; first, into several bones ; and then has given 
to each bone several centres of ossification, from 
which the radii shoot out, and inosculate with the 
radii proceeding from other centres ; the whole work 
being completed by the joining of the textures, and 
the filling up of the little spaces supposed to be 
left by the rationale of this process. 

Now it is manifest, that each of these centres of 
ossification will naturally possess a larger quantity 
of ossific matter, than at the inosculation of the 
radii above mentioned, and, therefore, will retain 
the appearance of prominences and projections ; 
and will thus produce the semblance of those organs, 
the existence of which lias been claimed as demon- 
strated. This fact is beautifully illustrated by the 
bones of a child's skull now before me, who was 
murdered by its unnatural parent at three weeks of 
age ; a very considerable thickness is to be found 
at these ossific centres, while at the extreme points 
of radiation the cranium is so thin as to be trans- 
parent, and to leave very little ossific matter depo- 
sited. Here then would be organs in great activity, 
in the central bony origins, and of great feebleness, 
or total absence, at a distance from these centres. 

The increase of frontal brain, with the necessary 
expansion of its external covering, is the consequence 
of mental effort. As muscle is developed by exer- 
cise, so also is the growth of brain promoted by any 
extrordinary demands made upon it by the govern- 
ing mind. Thus the full developement of the 






OF BODY AND MIND. 



manifesting organ is in some measure dependent 
upon the mental effort of the creature. This will 
also serve to explain the mode of operation in edu- 
cation, in religious instruction, in the Holy Spirit's 
influence : the attainment of the objects proposed 
by all these means is usually slow and gradual, and 
is likened by our Saviour himself to the impercep- 
tible growth of corn. 

Fifthly, the size of an organ, neither in nature 
nor in mechanics, is any indication of its power and 
energy of action. On the contrary, firmness and 
fineness of texture, and completeness of adjustment, 
give that power and energy, which size cannot 
communicate, but to which, on the contrary, it seems 
to be inimical. 

Phrenologists then err against nature and science, 
when they attribute increased energy to increased 
size. The mainspring of a watch is not to be judged 
of by its size, whether absolute or relative ; the most 
surprising effects are produced by the minutest 
machinery ; the strength of a bone or joint does not 
depend on its size ; on the contrary, large bones 
and large joints, (and it might be added, large 
heads,) are commonly feeble ; and in all athletic 
performances, small bones and joints will always 
endure longer, and sustain more fatigue, and per- 
form better, than those which are larger. 

Lastly, phrenologists appeal very loudly to expe- 
rience ; they speak of theirs being a science of ob- 
servation — of their accumulation of facts— of their 
deduction from facts. Granting them the credit of 
being accurate and disinterested observers, it must 

G 



82 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be urged that they are very far from being uniform 
in their experience, or agreed in their results ; and 
consequently that they must be inaccurate observers, 
or inconclusive reasoners ; besides that there exists a 
great number of counter-facts, which militate 
strongly against their conclusions. 

Now when the same observers, looking at the 
same object, arrive at different results, and draw 
dissimilar conclusions in a matter of observation, 
which, if true, should be invariable ; and when it is 
a fact, that, so far from being invariable, there are 
many most startling discrepancies ; when it is 
recollected, that according to the supposition, the 
facts should be invariable, and therefore, that a 
very few counter-facts will utterly invalidate what 
a great many can barely substantiate, it will follow, 
that a considerable degree of doubt will rest upon 
their conclusions ; and that the wise and prudent 
will not accept these conclusions, without much 
hesitancy. 

We are free to admit, that these erroneous obser- 
vations and reasonings may be charged on the 
infancy of the science, and the inaccuracy of ob- 
servers, or the incompetence of the reasoners ; but 
if the science be still in its infancy, if some of its 
observers be thus inaccurate, and some of its 
reasoners thus incompetent, who is to decide at pre- 
sent on the established facts, or the just reasonings 
of phrenology? — again, the wise and prudent will 
hesitate. 

Farther, when it is recollected, that these gen- 
tlemen are not disinterested observers ; that they 



OF BODY AND MIND. 83 

have a cause to serve, an hypothesis to substan- 
tiate ; and that they set off to look after facts to 
support their preconceived opinions, it will follow, 
that their evidence should be thoroughly and 
severely tested, before it can be received as testi- 
mony ; and that this fact throws an additional 
weight into the scale of prudential doubt and hesi- 
tation. 

The supporters of phrenology appeal very loudly 
to experience. Now experience may be very easily 
perverted, by a blind attention to the evidence of 
the senses on the one hand, or by listening to the 
suggestions of prejudice on the other. 

The phrenologist may be led astray by the evi- 
dence of his senses, almost more than any man, in 
consequence of the skull of some remarkable person 
presenting some peculiar prominence ; in search of 
support for this phenomenon, he will be led away 
from the full and mature influence of reason and 
reflection, and claim for himself the entire credit 
of being guided by experience ; whereas this so 
vaunted term becomes nothing better than blindfold 
experiment, unless it is characterized by that ful- 
ness and fairness of induction, which can only 
result from the accumulation of our own facts and 
reasonings, enlarged, tested, modified, by the facts 
and reasonings of others. 

The baneful influence of prejudice is also griev- 
ously felt in the tendency which it creates, to find 
facts suitable to the favourite hypothesis, and to 
distort them, so as to make them bend to precon- 
ceived notions. 

g 2 



84 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Thus the theorist is dazzled away from truth, 
while the accumulator of facts perverts it, and is be- 
trayed from the only path to real knowledge, viz. 
patient intelligent observatian, and enlarged views, 
drawn, not as inferences from a small number of 
data, but as inductions from a large series of un- 
prejudiced observations, aided by sound judgment 
and just reasoning, supported by experience, and 
verified by many inquirers, at' different times, and in 
distant quarters of the world. 

"We have now honestly recorded our doubts on the 
subject of phrenology ; and without farther passing 
sentence on its merits, we shall proceed to consider 
the question of materialism, — a charge which 
attaches equally (if at all) to those who consider 
the brain to be the organ of mind, as against those 
who believe in the complexity of its organisation. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 85 



CHAPTER IV. 



ON MATERIALISM ITS REAL BEARING, AND THE 

PRESENT DISCUSSION SHOWN TO HAVE NO TEN- 
DENCY TO THIS DOCTRINE. 

Before we proceed further, it is necessary to 
consider two classes of objections which have been 
urged against the foregoing views: first, that of 
their leading to materialism ; and next, of their 
teudency to establish a spiritual agency, of the ex- 
istence of which there is no proof. 

It is remarkable that charges of so very opposite 
a nature, should be adduced by highly estimable 
individuals ; and yet such has been the case among 
the author's correspondents, affording no trifling 
presumption of the accuracy of his views ; for 
although the opposite of right is not always wrong, 
nor the opposite of error always truth ; yet when 
the self-same proposition, contemplated by different 
persons, from different points of view, or through 
variously prejudiced media, produces a precisely 
opposite impression, — the presumption is certainly 



86 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

in favour of its truth ; — and of its being placed 
among that class of truths which holds the middle 
way between contending parties, and which being 
undefined by those peculiar prominences of cha- 
racter, which each fierce disputant would earnestly 
seek after, is therefore left unrecognized by the 
partisan, and unacknowledged by those, who, in the 
warmth of their zeal, would exclaim with a certain 
degree of indignation, " He who is not for us, is 
against us," in entire forgetfulness, that this sen- 
tentious conclusion admits of being, readily turned 
into an equally forcible truth, " He who is not 
against us, is for us." 

These objections must be examined separately ; 
and, first, the charge of materialism, which applies 
as much to the single as to the plural organ ; inas- 
much, that if reference be made at all to organic 
influence, it is not very important whether that 
reference have respect to one organ or many : the 
real point of objection being, that the brain should 
be supposed to exert any influence upon the mani- 
festations of mind. 

Now in the outset of our inquiry it might be 
sufficient to ask, if the brain be the organ of mind — 
that is, the medium through which its manifestations 
take place ; how could it be otherwise, than that 
these manifestations should partake of the nature of 
the medium through which they pass ? And then 
unless every brain be of the same kind in every 
individual, and under all circumstances of health 
and disease — action and inaction — excitement and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 87 

collapse — culture and waste — it is impossible that 
the manifestations can be alike. 

Now this supposition is so notoriously contrary to 
fact, and would, if allowed, conduct to propositions 
so palpably absurd, that the answer to the charge 
might almost safely be permitted to rest here, 
were it not desirable, at one view, to show that 
the charge of materialism has no foundation what- 
ever. 

Did not daily experience bear out the conclu- 
sion, that the manifestations of mind are influ- 
enced by different states of the body in general, and 
of the brain in particular ; did we not constantly see 
the effect of various bodily changes — of the irrita- 
tion of disease — of the influence of medicine — of 
returning health — of advancing age — and of a 
thousand other causes, acting only upon the organ, 
it would be very simple a priori reasoning — that if 
the brain be the manifesting organ, which all 
admit, these manifestations must take a tinge from 
the medium through which they pass ; just as 
water, a simple element, takes its character from 
the soil through which it has passed ; or the air 
becomes impregnated with the aroma of flowers, or 
with various noxious exhalations ; or as the rapidity 
of a current is influenced by the nature of its 
banks, the declivity of the country through which 
it passes, the obstacles it encounters, and a thou- 
sand other circumstances, permanent or accidental. 

Now this a priori reasoning is supported by 
facts : — for it is a fact, 

1. That the manifestations of mind are always 



88 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

characterized by physical temperament, which phy- 
sical temperament is always constituted by the 
brain ; so that it may be foretold, by a" knowledge 
of such temperament, what will be the peculiar 
manifestations of mind. 

2. That the capacity for education may always 
be estimated from such acquaintance with physical 
structure. 

3. That direct or sympathetic disturbance of the 
brain will introduce disorder into the mental 
manifestations ; that a simple headache will take 
away the power of thought ; that a certain little 
more of morbid condition will occasion unreal 
fears, illusions, and hallucinations ; and that a still 
more aggravated form of malady will produce in- 
sanity with all its complications. 

4. That even a fainting fit, which temporarily 
deprives the brain of its regular supply of blood,— 
an hysterical paroxysm, — a trifling giddiness, how- 
ever produced, or a blow upon the head which 
occasions stunning, or the mildest form of concus- 
sion of the brain, will all suspend the manifesta- 
tions of mind, and be accompanied by a state very 
closely resembling death, or the entire absence of 
such manifestation. 

With such reasoning, supported by such facts, it 
seems almost a waste of time to adduce more argu- 
ment in support of the views upheld by the present 
work ; but in a question of such vital importance, 
and involving in its consequences christian truth, 
there is no point connected with it which must not 
be rigidly examined. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 89 

Thus, a living writer, whose opinions are deserv- 
ing of the highest respect, and who occupies a 
station in the christian world, of the greatest possi- 
ble usefulness and influence, writes, " Although I 
do not think that it can fairly be accused of incul- 
cating materialism, yet I must confess that it re- 
quires a good deal of consideration to see clearly 
the distinction between the moral qualities of the 
mind, and the developement of its functions through 
the medium of the brain. After all, the single 
fact, of a person having retained all his faculties 
unimpaired, after that the greater portion of his 
brain had become dissolved into lymph, seems to 
me to upset a great part of your reasoning." 

And so it must, if the fact were such; for if a 
function be carried on as well without the interven- 
tion, and even after almost the entire disorganiza- 
tion of the organ supposed to be appointed for this 
purpose ; it would follow, necessarily, that if the 
function be carried on without the organ, the sup- 
posed organ is not the one destined for the per- 
formance of that function, which must therefore be 
carried on by some other organ, or without organic 
intervention. 

But the fact is not so : — for first, the brain does 
not receive any material injury, without leaving its 
traces in future life upon the mental manifestations ; 
and if these traces be few, and feeble, and transient, 
this constitutes the exception, and not the rule. 
And, in the next place, it is not a fact, that the 
mental functions have been carried on, when the 
brain has been dissolved into lymph ; for in ail 



90 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

such alleged instances, the change which takes 
place is one of expansion, and not of destruction ; 
the brain is not changed into lymph, but the fluid 
is poured out into the interior cavities ; the walls of 
those cavities are pushed outwards, and this process 
continuing, the natural junctions of the different 
bones composing the skull give way, and by de- 
grees the head becomes enormously enlarged — the 
brain being always exterior to this fluid accumulation, 
and occupying a surface, large in proportion to the 
extension of a substance, which before occupied a 
confined space ; and as this change has taken place 
in early life, and has been very slow in its opera- 
tion, the brain has become so accustomed to the 
alteration of its position, that the manifestations of 
mind, though not equal to what they would have 
been in a sound and healthy state, are not so much 
impaired as would seem probable to casual ob- 
servers, especially if unacquainted with the exist- 
ence of the entire brain, though in a state of greater 
extension and proportioned thinness. 

So much for the facts supposed to be connected 
with this objection ; but with regard to the reason- 
ing, when we differ from such a man, we almost 
doubt the correctness of our own conclusions ; but 
we apprehend that the difficulty in his mind arises 
from not keeping steadily in view that the moral 
qualities do not originate in the brain ; that the 
brain is the servant of mind ; that the organization 
was formed for the individual, not that the indivi- 
dual was suited to the organization ; and that the 
mind or spirit is an immaterial principle conferred 



OF BODY AND MIND. 91 

only upon man, and superadded to his more perfect 
organisation, to guide, and govern, and direct all 
his conduct and his motives. 

Thus it will be seen that the spiritual functions 
are not developed by the brain, but that they are 
only rendered cognisable to us through that medium. 
Mental thought and feeling, emotion and passion, 
so far as they are not connected with purely animal 
function, which are common to man and the lower 
animals, originate with the spiritual principle, and 
give laws to the organisation. Nevertheless, the 
expression of these spiritual originations may be, 
and doubtless is, tinged and characterized, as it is 
made known to others, through the material 
medium, which is appointed for their manifesta- 
tion, and which constitutes a portion of the state of 
trial and probation in which we are placed ; for the 
spirit is accountable for its own thoughts, — for the 
actions and conduct of its servant, the brain; and 
upon this has been impressed some debasing trans- 
formation, which chains it down to animal pro- 
pensity, and proves a great source of trial and con- 
flict to the best-ordered minds. 

In consequence of this change, the intellect is no 
longer so apt for exertion ; the perceptions are not 
so accurate ; deep reflection is a burden ; con- 
sciousness is liable to error ; and so, also, with 
regard to all the purely mental manifestations. 

If, therefore, we cannot derive the same impres- 
sion from similar objects, it is, probably, because 
we look at those objects from different points of 



92 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

view ; or from some difference in the organs of 
sense, through which all our real knowledge is con- 
fessedly obtained. 

The point contended for is, that the brain does 
exert an influence upon the manifestations of mind ; 
that it gives a prevailing tinge to them when 
healthy; that, though originally perfect, some 
change has passed upon it, insomuch that the 
instrument is imperfect, and that its defects, or 
diseases, and even its minor morbid actions, do 
exert a perverting influence over the images of 
thought ; that they do throw a disturbing agency 
over our perceptions ; that they do alter the nature 
of our sensations; and that oftentimes they do give 
rise to impressions which are unreal. 

Against conclusions of this nature the charge of ma- 
terialism has been brought ; and it has been reiterated 
and deepened, when this influence has been shown 
to extend to the will, so that, according to the func- 
tion of volition, it should give tone, and energy, 
and action to the body, and persevering exertion to 
the mind, so long as the condition of the brain was 
healthy ; or that, in its opposite state, it should 
enfeeble and even paralyze the bodily actions, and 
render uncertain and vacillating the operations of 
the mental will. 

We have the highest respect for objections of 
this nature, because they originate in the excess of 
right, — in a fearful apprehension of diminishing 
the moral accountability of the spiritual individual 
by allowing too much for the influence of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 93 

body upon the manifestations of mind ; and we 
cannot help thinking that we must differ from oar 
spiritualist friends more in the terms which we 
employ, than in the things of which we speak ; 
since it does appear so impossible to doubt that the 
material brain and nervous system are the appointed 
organ, instrument, and servant of mind ; and that 
as such, its physiological power of conveying mental 
impulse is very great ; while the pathological in- 
fluence of its disorders is also quite incalculable in 
disturbing the harmony, or completeness, or per- 
fection of these notices. 

No two things can be more distinct than the 
spiritual mind and the material brain : yet the 
former can receive no intelligence nor communi- 
cate any notices without the latter ; and thence it 
follows, that if the brain be not in a sound state, 
that intelligence, and those notices, may be incor- 
rect, defective, or perverted. 

With regard to the particular function of volition, 
on which hangs, after all, the essential point in 
dispute ; since the question really is, whether the 
man is the slave of his organisation, and that his 
will to do right may be superseded by a corporeal 
tendency to do wrong ; or whether the brain is the 
servant of mind, and that the mental will is supreme, 
— gives laws to the material organisation, — and is 
thoroughly accountable for all its voluntary errors, 
all its deviations from right, all its listening and 
yielding to bodily influence ? 

With regard to the will, it should be recollected 
that there is no possibility of communicating the 



94 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

sentiments except by a separate act of volition for 
every letter, of every word, of every sentence, which 
embodies the ideas, whether this communication be 
made orally, or through the medium of writing. 
Admitting the first, which no reasonable person 
can doubt, it follows that the energy of this function 
is very great, and that the integrity of the brain 
and nervous system is indispensable, in order to 
secure a perfect elaboration of the materials of 
thought. 

But grant this, and it follows, that if the in- 
tegrity of the brain be necessary to the perfection 
of mental manifestation, and that the brain and 
nervous system be subject in themselves to every 
degree of perfectness, as well as to every grade of 
feebleness and every variety of perverted action, 
so must there be a corresponding change in the 
shades of mental manifestation. 

Mistakes are often made on the subject of voli- 
tion, both in a practical and a theoretical point of 
view. The mere act of wishing, and the decided 
exercise of the will, are often confounded with each 
other; yet no two things can be more unlike. 
The one is a merely indolent, passive, inoperative 
desire, (even if it amount to desire,) that such an 
acknowledged good were possessed, but there is no 
corresponding effort to attain it ; the other is a 
state of high mental and bodily action, in which, if 
it be a strenuous will, both mind and body are con- 
centrated upon the object to be obtained, and not 
only concentrated, but energized to the highest 
pitch of intensity. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 95 

A beautiful illustration of the energy of this 
function has recently come before me ; which, 
when wrought up in this manner, succeeded in 
controlling one of the most unmanageable of all 
unmanageable diseases, viz. the paroxysms of 
hooping-cough. Every one is familiar with the 
difficulty of repressing ordinary cough — greatly 
increased by the spasmodic paroxysm just men- 
tioned. No person, by wishing to control either 
the former or the latter, will ever produce the 
slightest effect. Yet, by the exercise of a deter- 
mined will, by a continued struggle against the 
recurrence of the paroxysms, and by a constant and 
energetic warfare, which we should all do well 
morally to imitate, and which should make us all 
blush for so easily yielding to temptation, this 
liability to paroxysm was undermined and over- 
come. I confess this case filled me with admiration 
of the individual for her determined energy of 
purpose, and with astonishment and thankfulness 
to God for his " wonderful works, and his good- 
ness to the children of men." 

It seems to be universally allowed, even by those 
who are so fearful on this question of materialism, 
that we neither have, nor can obtain, any know- 
ledge, but such as is communicated to us, through 
the medium of the senses. 

Now the organs of sense are undoubtedly mate- 
rial, and they depend for their perfection upon the 
integrity of material nerves, and a material brain, 
with which these nerves are in the closest com- 
munion. 



96 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Since, then, man can receive no knowledge, 
except through a material medium ; and since, 
again, without the continued assistance of certain 
other material nerves, he can neither write, read, 
nor speak, it is clear that he can communicate no 
knowledge except through a material medium. 

And since man can neither receive nor communi- 
cate knowledge, except through a material medium, 
it is surely not irrational, nor unp hilosop Meal, nor 
anti- christian, to conclude, that the intermediate linkin. 
the chain, the elaboration and clothing of kno¥/ledge 
so received, or to be so communicated, is also accom- 
plished through the instrumentality of a material 
medium. And if so, the question of the existence 
of a material organ, as a servant to the spiritual 
principle, and as necessary to its manifestations, is 
set at rest. 

We might quote in this place with advantage, the 
following observations from a little work by the 
Rev. Richard Warner, entitled " The Anti-Mate- 
rialist," and published some years since. " All the 
attainments, and all the powers, which distinguish 
the most humble from the loftiest mind : the 
results of scientific research, and the deepest know- 
ledge of the facts, the combinations of genius, and 
the creations of fancy, derived, as they originally are, 
through the medium of the senses, and depending, 
as they entirely do, on the more or less perfect and 
delicate conformation and condition of the material 
part of our frame, partake of the nature of matter, 
the fountain from which they spring, and the 
channel through which they flow. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 97 

" The whole mass, indeed, of what may be 
called human knowledge , (that is, of those objects 
and facts, respecting which the mind has clear, per- 
fect, and satisfactory perceptions,) is limited to the 
evidence of the senses, and even the purest branch 
of it, geometrical and mathematical truth, rests ulti- 
mately on material ideas., on forms and qualities 
suggested by impressions made on the organs of 
sensation. The moment we dismiss these palpable 
guides to what is real and true, w r e get within the 
confines of uncertainty. The regions of abstraction 
may be delightful, but they are a land of shadows, 
filled by forms without substance, and appearances 
destitute of actual existence. The honest, though 
humiliating fact is, that laying aside those truths 
which are revealed to us by God, in his own sacred 
Word, we have no perfect knowledge here below, of 
anything that lies beyond the limits of matter ; that 
the mind cannot rest upon aught as indubitable, 
which is not conveyed to it by impressions made 
upon the bodily faculties of hearing, seeing, tasting, 
smelling, and touching." 

This argument might be carried still further, by 
asserting that we do not even know the complete 
meaning of the term material. We really know 
not wherein the elements of matter consist; and 
although we are acquainted with some of its pro- 
perties, we do not know its essence ; neither are we 
sure that it may not possess properties, or assume 
forms, with which we are unacquainted, and which 
are too subtle to be recognized by our senses. Hence 
we do not consider the question of the materiality 

H 



98 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of the soul as being very important, because what 
we call spiritual, may, in fact, be an infinitely fine 
modification of matter, far too subtle to be appre- 
ciated by our present powers. All we contend for 
is, that the brain is not that modification of matter ; 
but that it is subservient to the mind. This might 
supersede the question of materialism ; but we wish 
to meet it on its own grounds, to take the common 
acceptation of the term, as generally received, and to 
show that our views do not conduct to a belief in its 
cheerless doctrines. 

Before entering further upon this subject, and 
after the avowal of the foregoing paragraph, it is 
necessary to state, that this question is not so all- 
important as it has been thought by many excellent 
persons, who have reasoned thus, that only that 
which was immaterial could be immortal. This, 
however, by no means follows; first, because we 
know not what the term material means; and, 
secondly, because it is not a property of matter to 
be destructible, but indestructible ; and to exist 
under ever new and varying forms of combination ; 
so that even here, there could be no reason why a 
material soul might not undergo, during the stage 
of its existence after the death of the body, that puri- 
fying and ennobling change, which would fit it for 
its new state of immortality. The flower which 
fades, and droops, and perishes, and vanishes from 
our sight, may enter into new combinations, and 
soon again appear in the form of some other flower 
of far richer hues, and of infinitely higher fragrance 
and beauty. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 99 

The property of immateriality, then, is not neces- 
sary to immortality, though, according to our com- 
mon forms of speech, and in comparison with what 
we know of other material substances, we believe 
the soul to be immaterial, because it wants those 
properties of matter with which we are ac- 
quainted. 

There is, however, not a trace of reasoning to 
support the position, that, the higher mental powers 
which man possesses are the result of organisation ; 
the rational soul is a principle superadded to orga- 
nisation, the latter forming the exquisitely adapted 
instrument, for the manifestation of the higher 
movements of the former. 

Thus, mind is a principle, or, if it be preferred, a 
being superadded to, but not inherent in brain, (just 
as life is superadded to organisation,) and is to be 
found only in man, because man alone is a moral 
and religious creature, accountable for his actions, 
where they are social, to his fellow man ; and for all 
his thoughts, and feelings, and conduct, to the 
Supreme Governor. 

This view is attempted to be discredited by an 
opponent, because he cannot understand how imma- 
terial mind can act upon material body. And what 
then ? Is this the only effect which he cannot un- 
derstand, and yet which he receives upon trust? 
Can he understand how an impression upon a 
nerve produces pain ? Can he say what pain is ? 
Can he explain why the process of digestion is 
performed by the stomach ? Why it is troubled by 
any mental impression of a sudden character, or 

h 2 



100 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

why it is suspended by cutting off the supply of 
nervous energy ? Can he understand or explain 
how the morbid action of one nerve produces 
morbid action upon some distant nerve ? Or can 
he understand how impressions made upon certain 
nerves, produce saliva in one instance, tears in a 
second, or bile in a third ? Can he understand the 
simplest phenomena which are around him ? Or 
can he explain the reason for the simplest chemical 
action ? 

But if man cannot understand or explain the 
more obvious phenomena, except by merely stating 
their effects, what reason has he to object against 
the manifestation of mental phenomena, shown by 
the brain as the instrument or organ, under the in- 
fluence of mind as the agent, because he cannot com- 
prehend the process. It is a law of our existing con- 
stitution, that there are many things which we 
cannot understand, and that everywhere there is 
a limit placed to our researches. 

Since, then, an actual incorporeal state of the 
human soul is nowhere revealed as an object of 
faith ; and since we know not the properties of 
immateriality, and are not in possession of any suffi- 
cient grounds, why the soul may not be some infi- 
nitely subtle modification of matter, we should con- 
sider the settlement of this question as unimportant, 
and as being fairly left within the domain of unex- 
plored philosophical speculation. 

All we contend for is, that the brain which we 
see, is not that spiritual essence ; though we fully 
admit, that while the body and soul are capable of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 101 

independent existence, yet in a healthy condition 
of the latter they are co-existing — intimately blended 
— in a way of which we are ignorant, and pro- 
ducing effects upon each other reciprocally, through- 
out the entire circle of sentient and rational life. 

It is necessary in this place to consider some of 
the objections advanced against the immateriality 
of the soul ; and this is a question of so much im- 
portance, in connexion with our grand principle, 
that the manifestations of spiritual mind are influ- 
enced by the material medium through which 
they become manifest, that we must be permitted 
to notice them in detail. 

The immaterial doctrine is said to complicate 
and confuse discussions on this subject, because 
we know not the meaning of the terms material 
and immaterial, as distinguished from each other. 
It is, however, unphilosophical to urge this objection, 
because we have already shown, that the distinction 
is not important ; and because the same objection 
might be made against a variety of other inquiries, 
in conducting which, it is agreed by the tacit con- 
sent of philosophers in general, to accept certain 
terms as designating the amount of our knowledge 
of certain circumstances with which we do not pro- 
fess to be thoroughly acquainted, and as very 
useful to our ignorance in conducting our investi- 
gations. 

Such, for instance, are the phenomena of gravi- 
tation, and light, and heat, and electricity, and 
galvanism, and nervous influence, and life, and 



102 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

affinity, and various other agents, of the nature of 
which we know nothing, and can only judge by 
their effects manifested under certain circumstances. 
But it would be most unphilosophical to allow these 
to be employed in our researches, and to refuse a 
similar privilege to the immaterial principle, where 
the position is precisely identical. Thus, for in- 
stance, life is a principle superadded to matter : 
we do not deny its existence, because we know not 
even the meaning of the term ; but we study its 
operations, and endeavour to acquaint ourselves 
with its results, tracing them backwards as far as 
we are able. 

Secondly, " God is omnipotent ; and he could, if 
he so willed, make matter (the brain) to think ; 
and he could, if he so willed, make thought, or 
the substance of thought, immortal" Now this is 
admitted ; — but again, upon the principle of the 
objectors themselves, we know not the full mean- 
ing of the terms we employ, when we speak of the 
Supreme Governor of the universe, and can only 
judge of him by his works, and by what he has 
chosen to reveal of himself to us. In occupying 
this position, of course I am not contending with 
the infidel — it would be mere waste of time to 
argue the point with him. 

We judge of God by his works ; and we find 
that under many circumstances one rapid stride is 
made towards the most perfect of his creatures, by 
the superaddition of a new principle. Thus, life is 
enjoyed by plants ; then is superadded a nervous 



OF BODY AND MIND. 103 

system, and the power of locomotion, instinct, with 
varying combinations of animal intelligence; and 
still higher, the human mind. 

It is true that God might make the brain to 
think and reason, and might also make that brain 
immortal; but God has not so willed. We find 
that brain, as brain, does not reason, and that it is 
liable to disease and decrepitude, decay and death, 
— to existence under a changed form, and perhaps 
to existence in many brains, during the course of a 
lengthened series of years ; and this would be in- 
consistent with the idea of an immortal existence : 
whereas, the super addition of a spiritual principle 
destined to live for ever is consistent with the gene- 
ral harmony of God's works, and with what he has 
pleased to reveal of himself to his creatures as a 
Spirit— man being created in his own image, and 
therefore partaking in a limited degree of that 
spiritual nature which is to us incomprehensible, 
but not less an object of belief ; nor more incom- 
prehensible than the qualities of matter, or even 
matter itself. 

There is, too, a consciousness in man, that he 
(that is, mind) possesses a power of controlling and 
superseding, to a certain extent, the very many 
morbid states of cerebral action. Now, if brain 
elaborated thought, how could it control its own 
deviations ; or how could it exercise self-denial, a 
state of self-control, which is, however, rendered 
necessary by our peculiar position, and which can 
only be effected by the influence of mind over 
matter ? 



104 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Seeing, then, that the Almighty Governor of the 
universe has not chosen to confer the higher attri- 
butes of reason upon matter, and that he has 
devolved a portion of his spirit upon man, why 
should we seek to complicate this discussion, by 
supposing a different kind of brain conferred upon 
man, capable of an attribute totally distinct and 
diverse from that possessed by any other brain ; 
and why should we not accept the simpler spiritual 
hypothesis ? And though we know not the nature 
of mind, why should we not be contented to study 
its effects, and to trace the modifying influence 
of the cerebral organs upon the mental manifes- 
tations ? 

Now this hypothesis seems to fulfil the great phi- 
losophical desiderata, viz. that it is true as borne 
out by the testimony of revelation ; and that, when 
taken in connexion with the preceding views of cere- 
bral function, it is sufficient to explain the phenomena. 
Nor is the testimony of revelation to be undervalued ; 
for the entire question must be taken up on broad 
grounds, and information must not be rejected 
from any quarter. In purely physical inquiries, a 
knowledge of all the sciences is indispensable for 
the full discovery of truth. Why then, in the 
present inquiry, ought not the positive statements 
of Scripture, in its own peculiar province, to be held 
of supreme importance, and to form the sound 
basis of physico-metaphysical reasoning ? 

Thirdly, "it seems unphilosophical to consider 
sensation, and other vital phenomena, as immedi- 
ately dependent on the body ; but to regard the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 105 

mental phenomena as something essentially different or 
distinct." 

The real truth is, that it is unphilosophical and 
irrational to confound things which differ essen- 
tially ; to place them erroneously in the same scale, 
and then to reason upon them, as if each were uni- 
form in nature and properties. Man, in common 
with other animals, possesses sensation and other 
vital phenomena, which are dependent upon the 
body ; but these differ essentially from thought and 
other mental phenomena, which are superadded to 
sensation and other vital phenomena, which do not 
originate in the body ; which body is in fact sub- 
servient to them, and is employed for their mani- 
festation. 

We do not represent the mental phenomena as 
distinct from the body, but dependent upon it, for 
their manifestation; the difference consisting in this, 
that whereas the animal is the slave of his organ- 
isation, the superadded powers of man are such, as 
to give laws to that organisation ; and to govern, 
direct, and control its propensities; that is, that in 
man, as in every other gradation of being, the body 
is formed for the situation and wants of the creature, 
not stretching beyond the ordinary requirements of 
animal life, except in man, in whom everything 
bespeaks, that his physique is subjected to his 
morale. 

Since, however, the latter is not only different 
from, but essentially opposed to, animal wants and 
desires, it is surely most unphilosophical to con- 
found the nervous systems of the two ; and to 



106 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

believe them identical, differing only in the degree 
of developement, and having all their actions refer- 
able to the same cause, viz. the uncontrolled influ- 
ence of nervous fibre. 

It is therefore clear, that those who contend for 
an immaterial principle in man, superadded to, and 
giving laws to his cerebral structure, are indeed 
supported by philosophy and fact, and that they 
are not carried away by vain hypothesis : in truth, 
they have no favourite hypothesis to serve, whereas 
their opponents have, and are desirous of reducing 
the actions of man to the level of an educated oran- 
outang. 

But it is said by the truly valuable, though we 
believe mistaken reasoner, that we have no proof, 
or at least no good proof, of the existence of an im- 
material principle in man, which will not equally 
apply to all other animals. The preceding obser- 
vations will give a sufficient answer to this objection. 
Animals have as much mind (animal mind) as is 
necesary for their situation in life : they are not 
moral, and therefore not accountable beings; they 
live in the selfish circle of animal desire, and ani- 
mal gratification. But when the animal becomes 
a moral and accountable being ; when he is to 
think — to reason — to originate ; when selfish desire 
is to be yielded to general or individual good ; when 
appetites and passions are to be governed ; when 
virtue is to be cultivated, and vice repressed ; when 
man is expected to govern all other animals, 
and especially to govern himself; when he is to 
subdue inclination, and to carry out moral princi- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 107 

pies in action ; in short, when he is to live a life 
of self-denial, and of the subjugation of inclination 
to a sense of duty ; then animal mind would be 
totally inefficient ; a new principle of a new moral 
character is given him, — the immaterial soul is 
superadded, — and he becomes the immortal crea- 
ture : thus proving, that in his origin, progress, 
present history, and future destiny, he is essentially 
above the animal creature ; and therefore it would 
be absurd to deny him the possession of some new 
principle, which would fit him for his own peculiar 
situation. 

The same unphilosophical confusion exists with 
a far less candid reasoner, # who believes that 
thoughts and desires are but " modifications of those 
parts through whose operation they are engendered; 
and moral motives, like physical stimuli, receive their 
power from the condition of the structure on which 
they act. 

The whole force of this argumentation depends 
upon its confusion — " obscurum pro magnifico ;" 
and if we succeed in showing that it has no foun- 
dation in truth, we need not trouble ourselves with 
the results which have been drawn from it, because 
if the original proposition be unsound, all the de- 
ductions from it will of necessity be baseless. 

The first source of fallacy consists in placing 
thoughts and desires together, as having one and 
the same origin. Now it will readily be allowed 
that the desires of the animal are but coincident 
with, and reciprocally adapted to, modifications of 
* Sir Charles Morgan. 



108 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the organs appointed for their gratification; and 
of their dependence upon, and connexion with, 
their respective sensoria. It will also be allowed, 
that man, in common with other animals, possesses 
similar organs, similar desires, and similar as- 
sociations. 

But here arises the confusion, by mixing up 
things which the animal possesses, with others 
which he has not in common with man ; and by 
forgetting to ascribe to the latter those peculiarities 
which mark him out as so entirely distinguished 
from any other animal. 

Thus, thoughts and desires are mixed up together 
as if they were contemporaneous ; whereas, no 
other animal but man possesses thought ; they do 
not think, reason, compare, conclude; desire is 
originated by the state of the organisation, and its 
immediate gratification is thoughtlessly pursued ; 
whereas, when the same desire is originated in man, 
it is referred to the interior conscience ; and in a 
well-disciplined mind its gratification is subordi- 
nated to moral motives, to social order, to the fitness 
of things, to the everlasting beauty of virtue, to 
the golden rule of doing to others as he would be 
done by, to the laws of God ! 

Do any of these motives operate upon the animal ? 
And if not, it is surely unphilosophical to ascribe 
them, or not ascribing them, to reason as if they 
were possessed and operative, and thus to confound 
things essentially distinct. This primary error 
being detected, every conclusion flowing from it 
is vitiated, because that is ascribed to animals, as 



OF BODY AND MIND. 109 

influencing their actions, which, in point of fact, 
they do not possess. 

But, secondly, the peculiarities of the character of 
man— that of his being a reasoning, moral, reli- 
gious animal, acted upon by his organisation, but 
governed by his moral position, which is superior 
to, and gives laws to, his animal desires, are not 
fairly ascribed to him. It is true that moral motive 
is spoken of as existing, and as deriving its power 
from the condition of the structure on which it 
acts. 

Here, there is a sufficient semblance of truth 
to make the argument pass current as true. Thus, 
it must be allowed that moral action is manifested 
through a material organ ; and that this action is 
to a certain extent modified by its peculiarities, 
and by the indulgence and aggravation of a par- 
ticular bias. But it has been shown that this is 
the result of some perverting agency ; and that it 
would not be so, in a perfect state, because the ten- 
dency of all such conditions is to produce disorder 
in creation, where, it is manifest, the principle of 
order was intended to be predominant. And in 
reasoning upon what should be, we must take man, 
not as he is, but as he ought to be ; and then his 
opinions and determinations would exhibit the 
same absolute perfection, as every other work of 
the Creator's hand, when rightly, that is, fully, 
understood. 

But if moral motive derive its power from the 
condition of the structure on which it acts, it is 
fair to ask, in what does this moral motive origi- 



110 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

nate, in what does it consist ? Does it originate 
in the structure upon which it acts ? This would 
be a solecism in fact, and in language ; for it is 
evident, that if it act upon a certain structure, 
that action is not inherent in the structure, but is 
ah exteriori; and as animals in general do not 
possess moral motives, it is clear, that these must 
spring from some source, which animals do not 
possess in common with man. 

In what, then, does moral motive consist ? It 
has been shown, that it does not consist in the 
animal structure which is common to man and 
animals; and it must therefore depend upon 
some additional structure, or upon some super- 
added principle. 

Even if it could be shown that this additional 
structure existed for the developement of moral 
principle ; as there exists no affinity between animal 
structure and moral motive, it would be unphi- 
losophical to contemplate this structure, in any 
other view than as united to the manifestation of 
moral action, not as originating such action. 

And as this cannot be shown to exist, it is to 
the last degree inconsequential and unphilosophical 
to assert, that the actions of the animal, and of 
reasoning, responsible man, are to be ascribed to 
the same cause, traced to the same source, and 
bounded by the same organisation ; or to deny that 
man possesses desires in common with animals, 
dependent upon his organisation, but that he also 
possesses what animals have not, viz. thought, reason, 
moral and religious sanction, to guide, and regulate, 



OF BODY AND MIND. Ill 

and govern Lis animal propensities ; in a word, 
that he possesses a superadded principle — a spi- 
ritual soul, destined to enlarge the boundaries of 
his position on earth, to fit him for society, to 
enable him to live the life of a good man, in- 
fluenced by moral motive and religious sanction, 
derived from the revelation of the will of the 
Supreme Governor ; to live for ever, when the pre- 
sent state of existence has passed ; and to enjoy 
happiness, or to experience punishment, accordingly 
as his thoughts and actions have been consonant 
with y or opposed to, the design for which he was 
created. 

It will now be necessary to glance at some of 
the objections against the immateriality of the 
soul : — and first, it has been asserted, that no sub- 
stance can act upon another substance, without 
possessing some common property ; and since, by 
the immaterialists, this common property is denied 
to matter and mind, it is inferred that that which 
acts upon matter cannot he immaterial. It is, how- 
ever, quite puerile to draw conclusions from such 
premises ; for, first, we know not the nature of 
matter, and therefore cannot appreciate the several 
ways in which it may be acted upon ; secondly, 
we know not the nature of spirit, and therefore 
cannot be acquainted with the varied modes of its 
action upon matter ; and thirdly, we know nothing* 
of the mysterious connexion which exists between 
the two ; and yet we pretend to reason upon all 
these unknown circumstances, as if they were 
governed by the same laws as the fixed sciences, 



112 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and to draw inferences from that which may be 
demonstrated, for that which is incapable of demon- 
stration. That mind may possess unknown proper- 
ties, having affinities to, and capable of acting upon, 
matter, of which philosophers know nothing, must 
be admitted by the candid inquirer : to be con- 
vinced that it does so, requires only an appeal from 
the philosophism of the schools to common sense ; 
for then it will be seen that a certain thing has 
been assumed as a fact, of the existence of which 
there is no proof. But we assert the separate existence 
of spirit on the authority of a divine revelation ; 
and this assumption necessarily precludes the ad- 
mission of all physical analogies, as explanatory of 
the agency of mind upon matter. Who would 
require a mathematical demonstration of facts as- 
certained by the taste or smell ? 

Again, it has been said, that the mind cannot 
exist, without occupying a place, and if so, what is 
that place? It is very easy to ask questions of this 
kind, and wisely to consider the negative of such 
questions as proven, provided that they are not 
satisfactorily answered. But nothing can be more 
unphilosophical ; even the common sense of man- 
kind has stamped this position with a proverb, viz. 
that " a fool may ask questions, which a wise man 
cannot answer." In the present instance, however, 
there seems to be no difficulty in answering the 
question ; for, by the terms of the proposition, the 
mind being immaterial, we cannot affix the idea of 
occupying space to that which has no particles with 
which to fill that space. It is very unphilosophical 



OF BODY AND MIND. 113 

to consider that there can be no existence where 
there is no space demonstrably filled — no palpable 
extension. What, for instance, is the seat of life f 
Shall we look for it in the " punctum saliens," or 
the " ultimum moriens," or where shall we find 
it ? We may not here enter upon the question of 
life, which will come before us hereafter ; it is 
only incidentally mentioned, in order to exemplify 
undeniable existence, without demonstrable space ; 
and with the impossibility of telling how life acts 
upon the assemblage of bodily organs. Life is not 
extension : extension, therefore, is not necessary to 
our idea of existence. 

So also with regard to electricity, galvanism, 
magnetism, chemical affinities of various kinds, 
nervous influence, &c. ; all these are known by 
their effects, yet cannot be shown as matter : we 
are not acquainted with the mode of their action, 
or their relation to other bodies : they possess not 
extension, and are incapable of demonstration. 

It has been objected, that if the soul be purely 
immaterial, how can it accompany the body, having 
no local existence ? To this, it might be enough to 
answer, that we know not but that it may have a 
local existence ; and that when we speak of the 
localisation of that which is immaterial, we speak 
of that of which we know nothing. We know not 
but that it might pervade the whole body ; we 
know not but that its chosen seat may be the brain ; 
for being immaterial, it would produce no inconve- 
nience by its presence, while it would hold the 
citadel, from which its mandates may be issued. 

i 



1J4 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

The fourth objection is, that in order to arrive at 
any thing like a comprehensible expression of purely 
mental manifestation, we are perpetually obliged to 
borrow terms from material objects around us, in 
order to express an approximation towards the idea 
intended to be conveyed ; and this arises from our 
knowing nothing of immaterial agency, and being, 
therefore, obliged to accommodate terms to our 
exigencies. 

Thus we speak of apprehension, conception, ab- 
straction, emotion, contrition, &c. ; we speak of a 
solid understanding, a clear judgment, a brilliant 
fancy, a capacious and retentive memory, &c, be- 
cause we are obliged to borrow terms from material 
circumstances around us, (not because the qualities 
to be represented are material,) in order to explain, 
in some measure, phenomena, which, in the pre- 
sent state of our knowledge, would be otherwise 
inexplicable. 

As well might it be insisted on, that the brain 
put forth tenacula in order to seize upon an idea ; 
or that its two hemispheres rubbed together dis- 
agreeably in contrition; — as well might it be in- 
sisted on, that the faculty of the understanding 
was actually a cube, — that the judgment had been 
sharpened by filing, — that the fancy was transpa- 
rent, — or that the memory was capable of receiving 
and retaining large substances, as that the imma- 
terial spirit must have a local existence. Both are 
manifestly absurd ; we know nothing of the laws of 
spiritual life ; and it should be ours to rest con- 
tented with the fact, that the brain is the organ of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 115 

mind, and with the close study of its manifes- 
tations. 

Still, we must never forget that the brain is not 
the efficient and ultimate agent, although it is the 
subordinate drudge. The mind, the immaterial 
principle, is the prime mover ; and brain is pro- 
vided for it, through which all its connexions are 
manifested. It is true, that if the brain be destroyed, 
the spiritual principle is deprived of its means of 
manifestation, but it is not annihilated. Destroy 
the eye, and external vision ceases, though the 
power of the brain remains for intellectual vision. 
One step further : destroy the brain, and the 
power of communication with the exterior world 
ceases ; the instrument has become unserviceable, but 
the immaterial principle remains. We cannot see 
without eyes, we cannot think without brain ; but 
it is most illogical to conclude, therefore, that the 
eye is vision, or brain is thought : this is to confound 
the organ and the function. 

The same truth is further confirmed by the 
phenomena of certain morbid conditions of the 
system : — thus, for instance, in paralysis, vain is 
the utmost effort of the will to move the paralysed 
muscles. Generally, too, the same cause of morbid 
action which takes the limb from the control of the 
will enfeebles also the power of that will ; it be- 
comes weak and vacillating, uncertain and variable, 
inenergetic and inconstant; thus showing that 
disorder of the instrument interferes at once with 
the usual arrangements of the body, and with the 

i2 



116 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

manifestations of mind ; thus clearly substantiating 
the point in question. 

We infer, then, that there is no good reason for 
believing that the manifestations of mind originate 
in the brain ; consequently none for tolerating its 
fearful consequence, that the destruction of the 
soul would be coincident with, or its well-being 
would be in any degree influenced by, the dissolu- 
tion of the body ; it has its own moral existence, 
and has employed the brain in its service, but it 
has no essential dependence upon the continuance 
of its structure. 

Even had it been differently appointed by the 
Creator, we have already shown that the destruc- 
tion of the soul by no means follows upon that 
change which we call death. Philosophers admit 
that matter is indestructible, and will continue to 
exist for ever in its present state, or in new forms 
and combinations; the Christian believes that this 
new form of being will be a separate and inde- 
pendent existence ; and the christian philosopher 
combines the two, and, as he contemplates the dim 
twilight, and undefined forms of age, or looks upon the 
sun as it is going down behind the cloud of disease, 
at an earlier period of life, casts his eye forward in 
hope to that brighter day when the sun shall no 
more go down — when there shall be one perpetual 
day — a day of spiritual enjoyment — of happiness 
augmented by the consciousness of living in the 
presence and under the favour and blessing of the 
Most High God. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 117 

As we verily believe in the resurrection of the 
body, there can be no difficulty in believing that 
the immaterial spirit, so long and so mysteriously 
allied with it, should be re-united to its original 
tenement, and then exist under the same forms 
and combinations, though the change which shall 
have passed upon it by the new-creating power of 
God shall have been one of infinite improvement ; 
so that the body, now perishable, shall be then fitted 
for eternal existence in another state of being, and 
its immaterial part, no longer clogged and hindered 
by its former encumbrance, shall be fitted for the 
pure joys of heaven, and prepared for the love and 
service of God. 

It were idle and fruitless to speculate on what 
change of being will then have taken place ; but it 
is easy to perceive, with regard to the body, that it 
will be indestructible, — no longer subject to change 
and renovation, but always remaining the same ; 
its appetites and passions, no longer directed to the 
same objects, will be infinitely purified and sub- 
limed, and will receive a new direction, fitted for 
a state of spiritual being. The stamp of excellence 
will rest upon it, and it will be no longer liable to 
disorder, decay, or pain ; it will be purified from 
all that is gross, or grovelling, or sensual and de- 
basing ; it will be freed from all its tendencies to 
evil, and will be no longer a source of temptation, 
trial, and sorrow, to the governing spirit. 

With regard to the immaterial soul, its full- 
blown powers will be developed ; all that here has 
been obscure, in consequence of seeking its mani- 



118 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

festation through a gross material medium, will be 
then clear and distinct, in an atmosphere fitted for 
the expansion of its powers, as originally derived 
from God himself; the senses will be infinitely 
ennobled ; the perceptions arising therefrom will 
be deepened, and expanded, and magnified ; 
thought will be capable of a reach altogether inap- 
preciable now ; the judgment will be freed from 
error ; the present confined range of ideas will be 
supplanted b}' the grasp of infinite thought ; the 
memory will combine without effort, and at one 
view, the past, the present, and the future ; the 
affections will expand into perfect benevolence — 
love to God and man ; association will be capable 
of taking in at once, all that is lovely and good, 
while all the former tendencies to evil will be with- 
drawn ,— in fact, the germ of all that was originally 
"very good" m man will receive its fullest expansion 
— will be placed upon objects of infinite and peer- 
less interest — will be purified from every alloy — 
and will exist always, undestroyed and inde- 
structible. 

There are those who would object that the change 
is too great to be believed ! Is this objection 
worthy to be entertained ? Is this change greater 
than that which has taken place upon degraded 
man since he was pronounced by his Creator to be 
" very good," and the fact of which is constantly 
before our eyes ? But if so great a perversion of 
its original design, so great a change for evil, has 
been permitted by the Omnipotent, by which his 
gracious purposes have been suspended, is it too 



OF BODY AND MIND. 119 

much to believe, that his almighty power can and 
will restore man to his original likeness ; that he 
will be triumphant ; that he will restore order to 
his distracted world ; and that finally, all creation 
shall exist to his glory ? Surely, then, there is no- 
thing inconceivable or extravagant in this position. 

Besides, have we not in nature as great apparent 
changes? — transformations apparently as inexpli- 
cable ? Is it not as extraordinary, that the seed which 
we sow in the autumn, should meet our eyes and 
gratify our senses in the ensuing spring, in all the 
beauty and the fragrance of the loveliest flower? Is 
it not as extraordinary, that the little, dull, and un- 
attractive caterpillar, which we see wrapt in the 
sleep of apparent death, and enclosed in its self- 
constructed coffin, should by-and-bye appear be- 
fore us in life's gayest mood, and in nature's most 
splendid attire — arrayed in a structure of exquisite 
and inimitable delicacy — and brilliant with hues of 
incomparable beauty. The one, ungrateful man 
sees and does not reason upon ; the other he reasons 
upon and denies, because he cannot see it. But is 
this reasonable — is it just — is it philosophical — is 
it logical — is it wise — is it prudent ? 

Perhaps it may be thought fanciful, and we by 
no means insist upon it, but believing that every- 
thing in nature contains some lesson intended 
for the use of God's creature, man, we can- 
not help mentioning, that perhaps the above 
events which happen to the insect tribe, were in- 
tended, not only to shadow forth the changes of the 
resurrection, but also to tell us, that the award of 



120 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

good and evil in this life was not final, and that 
the equalisation of rewards and punishments would 
be in future state of existence. For, as in nature, it 
very generally happens, that the most beautiful 
caterpillar forms the dullest moth, and the moth 
of greatest beauty and brilliance is commonly pro- 
duced from the caterpillar of the least pretensions ; 
so the final state of existence will rectify all the ap- 
parent inequalities in the distribution of the goods 
of fortune, and will make clear that justice, and 
goodness, and righteousness of the supreme Governor, 
which here seem to be obscured by events, through 
the dark vista of which we cannot discern the end, 
— an end which, nevertheless, will assuredly come, 
and restore all things to their just equilibrium. 

To return from this digression, it has been said, 
and we think injudiciously, that there is " no case 
in which the combination of certain elements pro- 
duces something quite different, not only from each 
of the simple ingredients, but also different from 
the whole compound." If this were true, it would, 
we conceive, operate against the great change in the 
nature of man which has been just described; and 
which is so great, that but for the union of the im- 
material spirit with the body, there would be no 
consciousness of personal identity. 

But we apprehend the position is not true. In 
many chemical combinations, the resulting com- 
pounds will differ widely from the properties of the 
original bases, and this too in a most extrordinary 
degree, according to the relative preponderance of one 
or other of those bases. So also new combinations 



OF BODY AND MIND. 121 

possess properties, conferred by their union, which 
do not belong* to the original ingredients ; as, for in- 
stance, the power of dissolving gold possessed by 
nitro-muriatic acid, but not possessed by either of 
the two acids when existing alone, and uncombined. 

So also in the phenomena of life, the chicken 
apparently possesses no common properties with 
the egg, from which under given circumstances it 
is produced, and wanting which circumstances, no 
developement will occur. 

So again, with regard to the seed above men- 
tioned, it appears to possess no common property 
with the future flower ; yet under the influence of 
vital action, the combination of certain elements 
produces a plant quite different in properties from 
any which are, or can be supposed to be, in the 
seed, and which, but for this vital action, under 
favourable circumstances, would never be dis- 
covered. 

So, lastly, with respect to the phenomena of 
secretion — for instance, the saliva, the juices of the 
stomach, tears, bile, &c. ; all these are produced 
under the influence of vital action, from the same 
blood in which there exists a 'priori not a vestige 
of any one of these secretions ; secretions which 
could not, under any circumstances, be recombined 
into the same elemental blood ; much less could that 
blood be carried back into its original elements, 
through the several stages of its formation, to its 
being furnished with its red particles, and through 
the several processes of making chyme and chyle, 
of assimilation, digestion, deglutition, insalivation, 



122 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

mastication, and the original elements taken into 
the stomach, with all the various sources from 
whence they were derived. 

It has been said, against the supposed immateri- 
ality of the soul, that we know nothing of the ex- 
istence of matter, except through the mind. Now, 
to a certain extent, this is true ; but the conclusion 
drawn from such truth is erroneous : that is, the 
inference drawn from this coincidence of mind and 
matter is erroneous. It is certainly true, that we 
know nothing of the properties of matter, except as 
that knowledge is conveyed to us through the con- 
sciousness of mind. It is equally true, that we know 
nothing of the existence of mind, except as that 
knowledge is conveyed to us through the material 
organ the brain. But in either case, it is the medium 
for the communication of knowledge ; the instru- 
ment, not the agent, which has relation to matter, 
and which agent we have before shown may be 
immaterial ; therefore it is assuming the point in 
dispute, when it is asserted, that the mind cannot 
be immaterial, because it forms the centre of con- 
sciousness of our knowledge of matter. 

Another objection of the same kind is, that we 
see mind perpetually called into existence before 
our eyes ; and the inference attempted to be drawn 
from this assertion is, that it is therefore undoubt- 
edly material. Now the absurdity of this reason- 
ing upon the creation of that, which is not obvious 
to our senses, is extreme. It is perhaps best met 
by a denial of the assertion ; we do not see mind 
called into existence before our eyes ; we never see 



OF BODY AND MIND. 123 

any thing of its origin ; we know nothing of its 
commencement. We may indeed perceive the in- 
strument of mind gradually perfected, so as to be- 
come better suited to the developement of its mani- 
festations, which therefore may be said to grow, or 
to be created. But the fact is, that we know no- 
thing of its essence, and all that can be said is, 
that the organ appointed for the purpose of convey- 
ing notices to the mind, or receiving them in return, 
for the purpose of exterior communication, is, by an 
established law of nature, of slow growth and deve- 
lopement ; and that the manifestations of mind are 
proportionate, in order that the individual may pro- 
perly occupy his appointed station in society ; and 
that the beautiful order and harmony which so 
strongly characterize all the works of the divine 
Architect, may be preserved in this instance also, 
one of the most important to the well-being of his 
creatures. This argument, by which the objection 
is answered, is also supported by the inconceivable 
rapidity of mental operation, as of reasoning, think- 
ing, writing, speaking, &c. 

Now, thought is a distinct function or office of 
the sentient principle, and it would be to the last 
degree unphilosophical to say, that the function 
existed in the brain, because we see throughout 
creation everywhere, brain existing without 
thought ; therefore, thought is not a property of 
brain or matter, but a product of the immaterial 
principle superadded to brain. And we have else- 
where shown, that if thought were material, how- 
ever indestructible it might be, yet that the same 



124 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

thought might exist in different persons in distinct 
generations ; and, consequently, there could no 
longer be that consciousness of personal identity, 
which is necessary to individual accountability. 

The present seems a fit opportunity for intro- 
ducing one or two observations on the subject of 
personal identity. Since there is no- one who pre- 
tends to the possession of common sense, yet is 
doubtful of his being the same individual that he 
was some ten or twenty years ago, it is almost 
superfluous to waste much time upon the subject. 
Yet, since moral accountability rests upon this 
truth, and since erroneous notions respecting it 
have been entertained, it is necessary to refer to 
it briefly. 

It has been said, and is admitted, that the body 
is constantly changing, undergoing decay and reno- 
vation ; yet the individual is conscious of being 
the same person, because some particles of the 
original body remain, and that if no part of the 
body had been left unchanged, there would be a 
loss of this consciousness of personal identity. 

Now this is an error ; for, first, we have no reason 
to believe, that any molecule of matter now existing 
in our bodies, will not have been effectually 
changed, some years since, and perhaps oftentimes ; 
for no part is exempted from the general law, and 
therefore the consciousness of personal identity 
cannot depend upon the material fact of some part 
remaining unchanged, as a lingering nucleus on 
which to ground a reasoning, in proof of iden- 
tity. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 125 

The truth admits of much easier and more ra- 
tional explanation, since the consciousness of per- 
sonal identity flows from that of continued exist- 
ence. The whole may be changed ; not a single 
particle of the original body may remain, yet the 
change has proceeded so gradually, that the greater 
number of old particles remain, while the new ones 
are prepared ; and therefore, at any one given 
moment, there are in the body a much greater 
number of old than of new particles ; and the con- 
sciousness of personal identity has been trans- 
ferred from one set of particles to another, without 
any perceptible change. The decay and renovation 
have gone on by an unperceived process ; and it 
has been only as a matter of science and reasoning, 
that we have known anything of this change ; the 
consciousness of personal identity cannot, therefore, 
rest on any material condition. 

In fact, this consciousness does not depend on 
the body, but the mind ; it has nothing to do with 
the material particles, but rests for its existence 
upon the immaterial spirit, and upon the sense of 
its continued existence. Now this is, after all, 
to be referred to a species of memory — a recollec- 
tion of former self, as coincident with present self 

The material theory would be inconsistent with 
this fact ; for if the consciousness of personal iden- 
tity depended upon an organ of memory, and that 
organ formed part of a body subjected to the ge- 
neral principles of renovation and decay, it would 
equally be liable to the same general laws, and 
the particles of matter which entered into the com- 



J 26 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

position of the organ of memory of any given 
individual, might at another time form the par- 
ticles of the same organ in another person, whereby 
the consciousness of personal identity must be de- 
stroyed ; since the same person cannot exist in 
two different individuals. 

Consciousness of personal identity, therefore, is 
an attribute of mind ; and though the organ of me- 
mory (if there be one) may perpetually change ; and 
though the same thing may happen with regard 
to the entire brain, — yet, notwithstanding all these 
changes, personal identity remains, because it is 
a mental and not a bodily consciousness. 

This is one of those truths which do not admit 
of demonstration ; no process of reasoning can 
conduct us to a just conclusion; and, indeed, rea- 
soning would be utterly thrown away upon that 
which must be considered as self-evident. Like 
the consciousness of our own existence, it admits 
not of proof; it is inherent in our nature, and 
placed there by its original constitution ; and the 
attempt to reason up to its possession, can only 
be equalled in folly by those philosophers who have 
doubted of their own existence. 

There are one or two other properties of mind 
which we must notice in this place. It has been 
alleged, that in contending for the immateriality 
of the soul, we deprive it of actual properties, and 
therefore make it to consist only in a negation of 
properties ; and if this were the case, a wily op- 
ponent would infer, that if the immaterial spirit 
consisted only in a negation of properties, it could 



OF BODY AND MIND. 127 

not be the originator of all those active functions 
(and especially the will) which we find in man 
so uniformly ; and which, if they were not to be 
ascribed to this source, need not be traced farther 
than the material organ, which would then cease 
to be the instrument, and become the prime agent, 
thus leading back to the full-blown doctrines of 
materialism. 

But like every other argument of the same kind, 
this proceeds upon a very common sophism, viz. 
that of ascribing to opponents sentiments and 
opinions which they have never avowed, and then 
arguing against them. The advocate for imma- 
terialism does not assert that the spirit has no 
properties, but that it has no material properties* 
and, consequently, is not to be subjected to the 
laws of matter. Its properties, therefore, are, like 
itself, spiritual, though, by an original law of the 
Creator, they are manifested through, a material 
medium, which, in his infinite wisdom, He has 
submitted to the governance and control of mind. 

But it is contended, that by this mode of rea- 
soning we leave the doctrine of mental influences 
unexplained ; that we do not say what mind is, 
bur that it consists^ as far as our knowledge goes, 
in certain manifestations, which we perceive only 
through the help of a material structure, the brain. 

And admitting thus much, is the fact of our 
ignorance of spiritual nature and essence to be 
brought against its existence? Then, indeed, is 
our ignorance of the nature of God to be brought 
as an argument against his existence! Are we 



128 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

really to deny the agency of a Great First Cause, 
because we are not acquainted with its nature, or 
because we cannot explain its movements? Or to 
descend to the level of the objectors, are we to 
deny the existence of matter, because we are igno- 
rant of its nature — because we know not its ulti- 
mate composition— because we are unacquainted 
with the earlier stages of its organisation and de- 
velopement ? Absurd, indeed, were such a denial ; 
but not more so, than of those who deny the im- 
materiality of the spirit, because they cannot conceive 
the form and the mode of spiritual existence, and 
know only its agency and manifestation through its 
material organ, the brain, which they, therefore, 
most unphilosophically conclude to be mind itself. 

The fact is, that the objectors do not bring an 
unprejudiced mind to this inquiry ; they put forth 
an hypothesis which they wish to be true; and 
enclosed within the limit of this earth-born wish, 
they cannot see beyond the little speck of error 
upon which they have chosen to concentrate their 
attention. 

Again, it has been objected against the imma- 
terial doctrine, that, if such were the case, there 
would be no change in mind ; for that being 
immaterial, it would partake of the nature of Deity, 
and not be subject to change. Really it is sur- 
prising that such glaring inconsistencies should 
ever be put forth by acute reasoners. For, first, it 
must be evident, that mind is not Deity, even 
supposing it to be an emanation from God ; it is 
allied to mortality — it is no longer good ; it is 



OF BODY AND MIND. 129 

perverted from its original bias ; its operations are 
carried on through a material medium. 

What is known of mind, or of the laws which 
govern it, to permit this mendacious assurance, 
that it cannot admit of change ? Absolutely no- 
thing ; only if this were granted, it would be easy 
to show that it did change ; and that this change 
was not inconsistent with its immateriality. As 
far as we know the truth, it is, that mind is acted 
upon by moral, spiritual motives, which we should 
conceive calculated to produce such an effect. And 
inasmuch as the nature of man is compounded, and 
his spiritual agencies are only perceptible through 
a material medium, it is possible, probable, certain, 
(as we shall presently show,) that the manifesta- 
tions of mind are modified by a perverting influence 
which has passed upon them ; by the health or 
disease of the manifesting organ, and by many 
other causes, acting immediately upon that organ, 
or intermediately through the agency of some 
other budily organ or function. 

Those who have felt interested in obscuring this 
question, have embarrassed it with a variety of 
presumed difficulties ; for instance, as to the period 
when the immaterial principle is communicated, 
and when it begins to exert its influence. Now it 
is easy, for a very limited understanding, to ask 
questions which cannot be answered, and for the 
best of all reasons, that there are questions beyond 
the reach of philosophy. The present is one of 
these curious, useless, unfathomable inquiries. We 
cannot dive into the arcana of nature, beyond a 



130 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

certain point ; and it is perfectly unimportant to 
determine, when the spirit is connected with 
matter, or how it takes its origin. All we can 
be required to show is, that there exists in nature 
the same inscrutable working ; operations whose 
agency we cannot trace, and only know by their 
effects. 

Now can any philosopher explain, why one 
plant is an annual, a second biennial, and a third 
perennial — one deciduous, another evergreen ? Is 
there any means of ascertaining these properties, 
except by experience ? And is there any method 
of descrying, when and how this original law was 
communicated? Can any one explain, how the 
little acorn becomes the monarch of the forest ? 
how the life which it possesses becomes developed 
by time, under the influence of moisture ? why it 
has been provided with an apparatus for taking up 
that moisture, and for nourishing early and feeble 
life, till it has been enabled, by its roots, to take up 
its own nourishment? Still further, can any one 
explain, how flowers are only seen upon the tree 
after a certain number of years, and how it is only 
then that it becomes capable of bearing fruit ? 

Farther, can any one explain, why one animal 
is oviparous, another viviparous ? Of the former, 
can it be told how the developement of the embryo 
chicken takes place under the favouring influence 
of incubation, and why the process, if it once cease 
after a beginning of developement, ceases for ever, 
and is incapable of renovation ? Can any one say 
when the principle of animal life is developed ? And, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 131 

to go higher into the scale of animated nature, 
can any one pretend to describe how the principle 
of independent life is communicated to the human 
ovum, and how the little homuncule is taken care 
of, and gradually developed, with a mysterious 
power and wisdom of arrangement, which baffles 
human skill to conceive of, much more to describe 
and to imitate ? 

But if this be the case in many departments of 
nature, (and instances might be almost indefinitely 
multiplied,) is it fair to advance it as an argument 
against the spiritualist, that he cannot explain every 
question which may be asked ? It has been shown 
that the naturalist cannot oive an answer to much 
simpler inquiries, and that he does not even know 
the meaning of the terms he employs ; can it then 
in fairness be asked of the spiritualist to explain 
that which by the supposition is less capable of 
explanation, because we are still less acquainted 
with spirit than with matter, while it presents no 
properties which are. obvious to the senses. But 
if asked to explain that which is less obvious than 
what the inquirer finds to be inexplicable, it is clear 
that the advantage in argument rests on the side 
of the spiritualist, who is only in the same position 
with his antagonist, on far more abstruse and diffi- 
cult questions. 

Again, it has been objected against the imma- 
terial doctrine, that in thought there is a distinctly- 
perceived motion about the brain ; and, therefore, 
that the chief mental phenomenon is obviously 
characterized by a material movement. Now we 

k 2 



132 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

take leave to deny the fact in the first place, and 
to assert, that, if true, it would not prove the point 
in question ; while the real facts of the case prove 
the contrary. 

First, we deny the fact : we admit that the brain 
is conscious of thought — that it is conscious of being 
the organ or instrument of thought, but we deny 
the perception of motion ; first, because it cannot 
exist, and next, because the cerebral substance, 
though capable of receiving its peculiar impressions 
from without, or communicating them from within, 
in its own peculiar manner, is not in itself sensitive, 
as is constantly shown by the extent of disorganising 
change which will go on in its fibres, without being 
perceived. 

If it were true that this motion was perceived, 
it would not prove the materiality of thought, but, 
at the utmost, would only show, that when the 
organ or instrument of thought was excited into 
action, such excitation was accompanied by a 
certain amount of consciousness of what was going 
on. 

Such being the case, with the a priori reasoning, 
we come to the question of fact. Granting, then, 
that there is a " perceived motion in the brain," 
it is fair to ask, by whom and by what is it per- 
ceived ? It has been shown that the cerebral fibre 
itself is not an easy percipient ; and the truth is, 
that the process of thought, carried on through 
the medium of the brain as its instrument, is com- 
municated to the immaterial mind ; that it is per- 
ceived by the brain as the organ of mind ; and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 133 

that its perceptions are immediately referred to 
some higher governing principle, by which the 
ral phenomena of thought, comparison, rea- 
soning, and reflection, are carried on ; thus bring- 
ing us back to, and supporting, our view of the 
immateriality of the soul, by candidly weighing 
the arguments against it. 

This view is still further supported by the fact, 
that impressions are sometimes made upon the 
sensorium, which are not perceived at the time, 
but which are recollected afterwards. Now if the 
mind were simply brain, the impression made upon 
it at the time would be perceived if sufficiently 
Impressive, or the impression would be made, but 
not powerfully enough to produce a corresponding 
perception. The fact is, that the impression is 
made upon brain, and recognized by it ; but the 
mind which at that moment is abstracted or ab- 
:•! by other pursuits, does not attend to the 
perception, and after a time comes round to it, as 
to a recollected impression, just vividly re-excited 
by attention to the impression previously made. 

The eye. the ear, the brain, are all organs of 
irst importance for their respective functions ; 
still the eye is not sight, nor the ear hearing, nor 
does either sense respectively reside in its ultimate 
consciousness in the eye or the ear. Nor is thought 
primarily developed in the brain — so that (as it 
is content s is thought. The fact is, that 

all the se rtents only, and not the individual 

mind, which guides, and governs, and directs those 
instruments. 



134 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Once more, there are some mental phenomena, 
which support the preceding argument; as, for 
instance, the consciousness of each individual of 
his own mental existence — a point which is 
involved in the discussion on personal identity, and 
which is here only incidentally mentioned, for the 
purpose of stating, that ideas are states or affections 
of mind, communicated to the brain as the mate- 
rials for thought, and not mind itself, but are 
originated by it. 

Thinking under the influence of the will, arrest- 
ing and fixing the attention on the one hand, or 
diverting it on the other, are so many accumulative 
proofs of presiding mind. These are not processes, 
which are at all necessary to animal life ; they can 
scarcely be called necessary to social man, so perpe- 
tually do we find him almost destitute of these im- 
portant functions ; so perpetually do we find him 
living without thought, exercising no control over 
his actions, seeming not to desire to fix or to avert 
his attention. But then these phenomena are 
to be found where man is not fulfilling the great 
end of his creation, viz. the display of the goodness, 
wisdom, and glory of God. 

But to intellectual, moral man — to man not so 
much as he is, but as he ought to be, and as we 
find him in the better specimens of our race, these 
processes are indispensable ; he cannot live without 
much thought and reading — without much reflec- 
tion — without much reasoning — without the appli- 
cation of his inferences to the emergencies of life — 
without preparation for his wants and enjoyments — 



OF BODY AND MIND. 135 

without looking forward beyond the present scene — 
without aspirations after immortality — without 
ardent desire to seek, and to obtain, the rewards 
promised to the good. 

But if so, since it is clear that these manifesta- 
tions do not belong to his animal organisation, it 
is equally clear, that they are the result and mani- 
festation of that presiding mind, which, however 
mysteriously it may be united with matter, and de- 
pendent upon it for its manifestations, is still dis- 
tinct from it, and will survive the wreck of that 
which has been " clothed upon " its spiritual func- 
tions. 

The presence and influence of presiding, directing* 
governing mind is further shown by instituting a 
comparison between the actions of brain, when disso- 
ciated from the judgment and will, and taken away 
from its higher purposes, and the same actions when 
judiciously employed under the direction of the will, 
within the range of its own peculiar office, as the 
servant of mind. 

Thus, for instance, compare the self-actings 
of the brain, in all the varieties of reverie, with 
all its castle- building and follies, with all the base- 
less fabrics of its own creation, and all the in- 
tangible tissues of its wildest fancies; go one 
step further, and compare all the interminable 
follies, and impossible situations, and absurd asso- 
ciations of dreaming, and all the wild creations of 
irritated structure, under the influence of alcoholic 
excitement, or opium, or fever ; compare these, 
which are purely organic, with the real actings of 



136 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

mind, in reasoning, feeling, knowing, inferring, 
judging, and then see what the material brain is, as 
the originator of trains of thought, and what it is 
as the pure servant of mind, employed in the trans- 
mission of thought, and always subjected to the con- 
trol of the immaterial being. 

But if in the one instance its actings be purely 
animal and organic, and if, in the other, its mani- 
festations are characterized by far higher attributes, 
surely the inference is not to be avoided, that the 
function of the brain is purely animal, when disso- 
ciated from mind ; and that on the contrary, it 
marks its high original, its present position in the 
moral world, and its future hopes and future des- 
tiny, so long as it is under the guidance of the imma- 
terial spirit. 

Did we require a further confirmation of this 
truth, we should find it in the uneducated, the wil- 
fully ignorant man — the creature of impulse — the 
slave of animal passion — he who has in a great mea- 
sure discarded the influence of governing mind — 
who exhibits human nature in a rapidly-descending 
series — acting under the influence of the brain and 
bodily nerves, while the functions of the super- 
added mind are well-nigh suspended. Yet this 
unhappy being is at length aroused from his degra- 
dation by purely moral means — awakened by the 
influence of the Holy Spirit of God — conscience- 
stricken — and finally restored to the favour of the 
Most High. With such facts of daily occurrence, 
can the philosopher, the man of inductive habits, 
doubt the presence of an immaterial principle, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 137 

energetic in its action upon the brain, and capable 
not only of controlling its perverse wanderings, but 
also of producing an entire change of habits, and 
pursuits, and desires, and purposes. 

The agency of education, in its physical relation 
to the brain, has been already noticed, and its in- 
fluence upon the developement of all that is valu- 
able in the moral and intellectual nature of man, 
will presently claim our attention ; so that in this 
place we only mention these facts as additional 
proofs of the immateriality of mind, and of its 
essential independence of brain, although that brain 
is necessary for its manifestation, so long as it re- 
mains in close intimacy with the body. 

We pass on, therefore, to notice the greater 
numberof instincts, and the higher range they occupy 
in animals generally, when compared with the most 
perfect animal, man. If there were no compensate 
ing property in the latter ; if there were no supe- 
rior advantage in his position, except that of his 
living in society ; if there were nothing surpassingly 
valuable in his destination, it were indeed extraor- 
dinary, that the greatest degree of perfection 
should have been given to the most helpless, the 
most defenceless, the most feeble creature ; that to 
him alone should be given the least power of pre- 
serving life ; that upon him alone should be 
entailed a mass of infirmity and disease, of sickness 
and sorrow, from w T hich the rest of the creation is 
comparatively exempt. 

The truth is, that the more sagacious animals 
possess a far larger amount of instinct, or im- 



138 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

parted knowledge, than man, because they have no 
means of originating or augmenting their stock 
of ideas, by study, reflection, or otherwise ; there- 
fore it is necessary, to fulfil the wise designs of the 
Creator, that they should inherit within themselves 
all things necessary to their well-being ; and it was 
consistent with Ms perfect goodness and wisdom, 
to render them free from the infirmities which at- 
tend upon the higher creature : not (as we are in- 
formed by Revelation) in consequence of his ori- 
ginal position, which was very good, but because he 
has fallen from that high estate. 

It would be perfectly irreconcilable with that 
goodness, if man's destiny were the same as other 
animals ; for then would he have had fewer advan- 
tages, and far greater and overwhelming difficulties 
and sorrows to contend with. But this apparent 
deviation from perfection of design, and of will, is 
quite reconciled by the fact, that the highest animal, 
man, is gifted with a new principle, which brutes 
have not ; that to his material organisation is super- 
added an immaterial principle, capable of supply- 
ing the lack of instinct — enabling him, by reason 
and knowledge, to meet the deficiencies of animal 
force, constituting him a moral creature, fitting 
him for residence in society, giving him the ma- 
jesty of mind, placing him in a position in which 
he might, by proper conduct, secure his own hap- 
piness, and in a state of trial and probation during 
which the attributes of mind should be developed, 
and the spirit should be gradually prepared for that 
future destiny of endless happiness, which would 



OF BODY AND MIND. 139 

equalize all apparent inequalities here, and vindi- 
cate the present, by the hopes and prospects of the 
future. 

Another proof of the immateriality of the soul, is 
to be found in one of those truths, inseparable from 
the existence of man— which is to be found in every 
man's bosom, but which, being self-evident, does 
not admit of demonstration, viz, that consciousness 
of thoughtful, responsible existence which he pos- 
sesses. There is an internal feeling in the human 
bosom, which speaks of something more than merely 
animal life, and which by sceptical philosophers 
has been termed "fe moi" We receive this term 
with all thankfulness ; we care not for the term, 
but the admission of the thing is all-important. 
The admission that there exists within, le moi, a 
principle of individual consciousness, distinct from 
animal existence, is sufficient for the christian 
philosopher, who well knows that le moi is neither 
more nor less than the immaterial spirit. 

When, in fact, the unprejudiced philosopher 
compares his own actions with those of the highest 
of the animal creation besides, he will perceive, that 
in many of the processes of life he has a precisely 
similar standing ; that in many others he is de- 
cidedly inferior; and that his supremacy is only 
maintained by the power which accrues to him 
from his capacity of remembering, comparing, ima- 
gining, reflecting, reviewing, reasoning, judging, 
in fact, thinking ; or, in other words, from the act- 
ings of " le moi " — the interior directrix of life, — 
the immaterial spirit, which delights and revels in 



140 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



a consciousness of its own existence, and which 
feels that it cannot cease to exist. 

We shall presently consider some of the pheno- 
mena of life and death ; but here we have only to 
notice, as connected with our consciousness of 
thoughtful existence, the belief that this quality is 
dependent not upon matter, but upon something 
distinct from it, and which, though now mysteri- 
ously connected with the body, will survive the 
dissolution of its present molecules; and upon this 
wreck, will arise to its last stage of spiritual exist- 
ence. One of our great bards has most feelingly 
awakened this intuitive truth, in that touching 
point of Cato's soliloquy, " This in a moment brings 
me to an end — but this informs me I shall never 
ie. 

So true is it, that at death there seems to be an 
end of existence, because the mysterious union of 
body and mind is rent asunder ; and the former 
being no longer capable of continuing the manifes- 
tations of the latter, the effects of its influence are 
not to be traced upon that body ; its life has 
ceased ; its present arrangement is about to be 
dissolved, and its material particles will, many 
of them, enter into new forms and combina- 
tions, and will undergo changes which we cannot 
fathom. But this is no proof that the spiri- 
tual existence is not continued ; the servant has 
performed his period of servitude ; the compact 
is at an end ; its particles may become obedient to 
another will : but the master spirit remains the 
same. Having nothing in common with the body, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 141 

it cannot be submitted to the same changes, since 
the immaterial spirit claims for itself an indepen- 
dent life, and the right of governing and giving 
laws to the body, and controlling and directing its 
every action ; so now, freed from its terrestrial 
incumbrance, it escapes from the thraldom of matter, 
and is free to enter upon a congenial state of 
existence ; a point at which we stop in our investi- 
gation, because, like many other objects of philoso- 
phical knowledge, we have no longer a clue to guide 
our inquiries. 

Lastly, we mention the intuitive desire after 
immortality, the horror at the idea of annihilation, 
and the ardent longing after a continued existence, 
as a strong indication of the immateriality of the 
mind, because these are attributes which do not 
belong to, but which are alien^ro?^ matter. The 
love of life, and the desire to preserve it, are 
instinctive ; they belong to man in common with 
other animals, and are totally distinct from that 
longing after immortality, which we find in the 
former only, and existing everywhere in proportion 
as the man is more distinct from the animal — as he 
is more intelligent — more intellectual — -more moral 
— more religious. 

In connexion with this fact, there is a mistake 
often made, and it is one of some importance, be- 
cause, if not founded in fact, it furnishes a weapon to 
the enemies of truth. It has been supposed, that 
the body assists the spiritual principle in its 
growth and preparation for this its final stage, 
and therefore it has been very wrongfully as- 



142 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

serted, that the faculties of the mind ripen and 
improve almost to the term of the body's ex- 
tinction. And so no doubt they do ; but not so 
their manifestation. For the manifesting organ is 
subject to certain changes of structure, which pro- 
duce a very marked influence. Up to a certain 
period of life, its aptitudes for carrying on the 
mental functions, no doubt, continue to increase ; 
there is an augmenting light, and accumulating 
power of radiation. But this, too, has its zenith, 
and the period of decay comes hastening on ; the 
views become more contracted, more assailable by 
prejudice — the will is more easily changed, though 
sometimes exhibiting that selfish pertinacity, which 
certainly increases as w T e pass through life ; the 
power of application is lessened, as well as the 
desire of acquisition ; by degrees the judgment 
fails, till the shadows of evening prevail, and pro- 
claim that man is rapidly hastening to his long 
night. The imbecility of old age, as a general 
rule, is proverbial ; and when the contrary is re- 
marked, it is the exception which confirms the 
rule, and which shows the original strength of 
conformation of the organ ; a fact which we often 
find elsewhere exemplified in the escape of other 
organs from the general law of gradual exhaustion. 
It is true, that this statement is sometimes 
combated by an appeal to facts, which do occa- 
sionally appear to militate against its accuracy. 
But this arises only from taking a short-sighted 
view ; the influence of experience and accumidated 
knowledge give an appearance of power ; whereas, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 143 

the two ideas must be entirely separated, and that 
because, upon close investigation, it will be found 
that they possess nothing in common. A good 
memory, with correct association, and the early 
habit of remarking, and comparing, and deriving 
practical inferences from the circumstances, will 
gradually produce such a store of ready and 
useful knowledge, as will be mechanically, or 
rather automatically, employed, long after the power 
to select and to combine, and to compare, and to 
infer, and to judge accurately, and to act ener- 
getically, shall have ceased. 

Thus the conversation and the judgment of those 
advanced in life will oftentimes be attractive and 
valuable from their recollected stores, and from 
the impressions and results of bygone days; whereas, 
these very persons, if they were called upon to 
work out new conclusions, or to consider new cir- 
cumstances, will be found feeble, doubting, erro- 
neous, vacillating, because distrustful of themselves. 
This is more obviously and remarkably seen, in 
the state of the memory ; it is quite proverbial, 
that the recollection of the events of yesterday is 
clouded and uncertain, whereas that of events 
having happened many years since, is clear and 
distinct. So with regard to other less cognisable 
functions ; at the present clay they are feeble ; but 
in so far as they depend upon the stores of former 
years, they remain strong and perfect. Thus, 
therefore, mental power declines with advancing 
years, not because the spiritual principle is losing- 
power, but that its long-occupied tenement is be- 



144 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

coming less fitted for its spiritual occupant ; that 
the time is approaching, when the earthly house 
of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, and when mor- 
tality shall be swallowed up of life. 

There is a marked proof of this fact, in all right- 
minded and well-thinking persons, in the greater 
prevalence of religious feeling. There is an ab- 
straction from the world, and all its joys and sor- 
rows, — a feeling of their comparative nothingness — 
a sitting loosely by all the objects of present sense — 
a truer estimate of life — a gradual estrangement 
from those things which have greatly interested, 
and a preparation for that change of being, which 
shall be, when the spirit is dissociated from the 
body, and when, escaping from all the fetters of 
this present life, it shall soar away into ethereal 
regions, better calculated for its final destiny. 

If there be one attribute of Deity more strongly 
demonstrated than another by natural religion, 
it is that of Infinite justice, and goodness, and 
mercy. In the great scale of creation, there is a 
preponderating good, which is perfectly consistent 
with partial or apparent evil. If a creature be 
feeble in one point, it is compensated by another. 
Sagacity may supply the place of strength, or vice 
versa ; yet, upon the whole, it will be seen, that 
the law of nature is to procure the largest amount 
of good, and the largest amount of individual hap- 
piness, which the circumstances admit — that is, 
the fullest amount of individual enjoyment, which is 
consistent with the well-being of the whole. 

But there appears to be a remarkable exception 






OF BODY AND 3IIND. 145 

to this law in the history of man. Though placed 
in the highest range of animated existence, his 
joys are less unalloyed — his sorrows infinitely more 
multiplied, than those of the inferior animals. As 
his senses are less acute, it is probable that he has 
far less pleasure, even from their proper indul- 
gence, while that indulgence is limited by social 
associations and moral laws. Add to this, the 
amount of his sorrows and his sufferings; the 
difficulty with which he procures the means of 
subsistence — the burden of the long infancy of his 
family — his liability to sickness, and pain, and suf- 
fering, — his early dissolution ! And when to this 
is appended the catalogue of his mental sufferings, 
from the constant conviction of his errors ; from 
the wanderings and misoivino-s of his own bosom ; 
from his fallacious judgments ; from his manifold 
deviations from correct moral conduct, as arising 
from infirmity, or from the want of will to do 
right ; and all the miseries entailed by the passions 
of an unsubdued heart, whether indulged or con- 
flicted with ; still further, acid the amount of his 
sufferings from the whips and scorns of time — from 
the contumely of the world — from the selfishness 
and heartlessness of compeers — from the estrange- 
ment of friends — from the insincerity of those in 
w T hom he has confided — from the injustice to which 
he is constantly subjected — from the wounding of 
his best feelings from a thousand exquisitely tender 
sources ; and, finally, throw into this scale the 
amount of his sympathetic sorrows, with all the 
misery, and crime, and hopelessness, and desola- 

L 



146 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tion around him ; or with his more intimate 
friends, when they are called upon to drink the cup 
of sorrow — when they are invaded by disease, or 
snatched from him by death ; and it will be al- 
lowed that his joys are few — his sufferings mani- 
fold, as compared with other creatures of far less 
pretensions in the scale of being. 

But if this be the case, and if it be allowed, that 
the design of infinite mind in creation, was to pro- 
mote the largest possible amount of happiness to 
his creatures ; and, moreover, that that design 
can never be wholly frustrated, though it may be 
marred, and even for a time obscured and sus- 
pended, then two consequences will follow ; first, 
that some perverting cause must have interfered 
to prevent the completion of his original most per- 
fect design ; and secondly, that in order to obviate 
this discrepancy — to equalize the apparent in- 
equality in the distribution of rewards and punish- 
ments here — and to vindicate the character of God, 
as a God of love, and justice, and wisdom, and 
power, and mercy, in this the highest work of his 
creative hand, there must be some other state of 
existence, in which the wrong will be set right— 
the well-doer rewarded, and the evil-doer punished. 

But since such a state does not exist on this side 
the grave, there must be a continued existence be- 
yond it ; and if so, there must be some part of our 
being, which will escape the dissolution of the 
grave. This part cannot be material, because then 
it would be liable to disorganisation — to existence 
under many changes of form, and in many different 



OF BODY AND MIND. 147 

persons; and hence the necessity for the fact of the 
mind being immaterial — of the body being created 
for it — subjected to its will— existing so long as is 
necessary for its purposes— and being then dis- 
united, in order to fit it for that glorious change, 
of which we know nothing, but that it will be one 
of happiness. 

Another proof of this immateriality of mind, and 
of the necessity for this final equalising change, 
will be found in the present state of that mind. 
If we look to its aspirations after knowledge — to 
the difficulties with which it is encompassed — and 
to the arrest of its progress on every side, after a 
certain length of investigation, one thing is clear, 
that the mind was originally intended for higher 
flights ; there is a constant sighing and sorrowing- 
after greater attainments ; and because such higher 
reach is rendered impossible, by the cumbrous ma- 
terial vehicle through which all its actions are mani- 
fested, there is also an internal consciousness, that 
this is not its best state — that it is hindered by 
the body— and that that body is less subservient 
than it should be to the mind. 

If we carry our view still onward to its moral 
condition — if we perceive its greater tendency to 
evil than good— that when we would do good, evil 
is ever present with us — that the heart revolts from 
yielding obedience to God, and prefers following 
the suggestions of its own waywardness; that its 
natural love of virtue is lost — that there is no ab- 
horrence of vice, but that, on the contrary, her 
attractions are most seductive, and can only be 

l °2 



148 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

resisted by principle ; when we see how easily the 
mind is overturned by disease, led astray by pas- 
sion, or perverted by designing hypocrisy, we are 
fain to allow, that its powers are diminished by its 
alliance with the body — that its tendencies are 
corrupted — that a debasing change has passed upon 
it — and that this wrong can only be set right in a 
future state, which again brings us round to the 
conclusion of the immateriality of mind, and to the 
necessity of another state of existence. 

A few remarks on this state will appropriately 
close the present section. It is not proposed to treat 
this subject at large, or to meet and grapple with 
infidel objections against it — but only to notice in- 
cidentally so much as may be necessary to com- 
plete the discussion which has occupied the pre- 
ceding pages. 

One position maintained, has been, that the spirit 
of man is immaterial, and that it is allied to ma- 
teriality, only so long as is necessary to complete 
its period of probation here, which is to fit it for 
continued existence hereafter. But supposing for 
one moment, that the spirit of man were material, 
it is perfectly possible that there might be a con- 
tinued existence after death ; for, although we do 
not rightly comprehend how particles of matter, 
dissociated by putrefaction, and then entering into 
other combinations, should be so far preserved, as 
to retain their consciousness of identity ; yet it 
were absurd, and contrary to all sound reasoning, 
to say that this was impossible to the Omnipotent ; 
or that the Almighty Creator of the universe could 






OF BODY AND MIND. 149 

not re-create so much of the body as should be 
necessary to maintain its identity. Possibility, pro- 
bability even, is not to be measured by our know- 
ledge of cause and effect, — for there are many effects 
which we cannot trace to their cause, and many 
causes of which we know nothing but by their 
effects : and in nature there are many causes and 
effects producing constant changes, or maintaining 
existing order, of which we know not even their 
existence. 

But if such be the case — and our ignorance of 
many apparently simple circumstances around us 
be so great ; is it not the highest effort of presump- 
tion to limit the power of Omnipotence in this 
department of his universal government, because 
we cannot trace the footsteps of the Most High ? 

In the immaterial view of this subject, we find 
the question perplexed, with almost as many diffi- 
culties, at least to those who seek to know more 
than it has pleased God to explain, and to draw 
aside the veil which has been drawn over the 
arcana of some of nature's processes. In associat- 
ing the continued existence of the soul with the 
revealed doctrine of the resurrection of the body, 
the question very naturally presents itself, with what 
kind of body will the soul be re-united ? It is a 
question we cannot answer. All we know is, that 
as there can be no annihilation of matter, so the 
spiritual part of man, being less liable to change 
than that which is material, its continued existence 
is more easily comprehended, even by our measure 
of knowledge ; and the inquiry as to the kind of 



150 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

body which shall be fitted for its future existence 
seems to be more than unnecessary ; all we really 
have reason to believe is, that the change will 
be one of great purity and excellence ; and that 
the future body will be better calculated for the 
manifestation of all the intellectual and affective 
faculties. 

Nor is this change more wonderful than that 
which we have already instanced as taking place 
in the insect tribe, in the several stages of their 
transformations ; nor, indeed, more wonderful, nor 
more incomprehensible, than changes which take 
place in the history of man's own eventful life. 
For, to say nothing of the perfectly inscrutable 
process through which his life is first developed, we 
shall notice only the change which takes place in 
one instant in the distribution of the blood through 
varied channels. 

In intra-uterine life, the future man has possessed 
only a kind of vegetable existence, and his organs 
have been calculated precisely for this state. But 
no sooner has the respiratory function been stimu- 
lated by the first access of air ; no sooner has the 
first cry proclaimed the commencement of inde- 
pendent existence, and of animal life, than the 
channels of the original circulation become closed — 
the lungs enter into their newly-developed action — 
the animal has now to breathe for itself — to nourish 
itself — to maintain its own temperature, — in fact, 
to perform the functions of animal life, which it 
had not done previously. 

This change, dependent upon an original law of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 151 

nature, but produced by the stimulus of air to the 
respiratory organs, is not more or less wonderful 
than would be such a change upon this body as 
shall free it from its infant incumbrances, and 
shall enable it to exist in the pure atmosphere of 
heaven, and to lead a spiritual life in the presence 
of its God. 

Such final alteration, as it has been already said, 
is rendered necessary by the inequality in the dis- 
tribution of the goods of fortune in this world ; and 
it becomes still more imperative from the insuffi- 
ciency of this present state to fill the desires of the 
mind. Whatever may be the developement of in- 
tellect ; whatever may be the literary advantages ; 
whatever may be the growth of the affections ; 
however they may be deeply-rooted in family con- 
nexions and the purest earthly friendship ; and 
however they may be expanded upon him who is 
Love ; still it is manifest, from the increasing dissa- 
tisfaction with the things of the world, that this is not 
our rest, that here we have no abiding city, but that 
we seek one to come — a state in which there shall 
be fulness of joy at the right hand of God. 

Were it not thus, how impenetrably gloomy 
would be the bed of death ; how unmitigated would 
be the sorrow of survivors ; how exquisitely poignant 
would be their grief; how unredeemably acute 
would be their sufferings ! Without the hope 
of an hereafter, how infinitely preferable the 
state of the mere animal who dies unregretted, and 
over whom the tear of separation is never shed ! 
How exquisitely painful would be the pillow of 



152 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

sickness, conducting to the hour of dissolution, 
without one ray of hope beyond it, without one 
beam of eternity to shed its radiance upon the 
coming night ; with nothing but gloom — a dark- 
ness that might be felt — a darkness that enwraps 
intellectual, social, moral, religious, and spiritual 
man, in the destitution of returning to his earth 
without one hope, one joy, one longing after im- 
mortality ! 

The misery of parting with those whom we have 
loved is great indeed, under the best of circum- 
stances ; but how immeasurably greater if this 
parting were for ever — if there were no distant pro- 
spect of re-union ! For ever ! how awful the reality, 
when the grave has closed upon the remains of 
those most dear to us ! For ever ! O no, this 
never can be, that the lot of man should have been 
rendered infinitely worse than that of the brute 
creation, while he alone wears the image of God, 
while he is evidently God's highest and most per- 
fect work, and while he has been created by a 
God of infinite justice and benevolence, of un- 
spotted holiness, of him who delighteth in mercy, 
and who " is Love !" 

Conscience is peculiar to the human mind : 
nothing analogous with it exists in the inferior 
animals ; and, indeed, from its nature, it manifestly 
belongs only to a creature accountable for his 
actions, since to none other would it be important 
to pass a judgment upon its own acts, and thoughts, 
and words. And as an attribute of mind, not pos- 
sessed by brutes > it forms a proof of the existence 



OF BODY AND MIND. 153 

of that superadded immaterial spirit which consti- 
tutes the great difference between man and the 
lower animals. 

Conscience, then, is a kind of instinctive moral 
faculty, which passes judgment upon conduct, 
whether right or wrong ; which forms the terror of 
the wicked by its upbraidings, and haunts him 
night and clav with the fearfulness of discovery, 
and the apprehension of the Divine anger ; while 
to the good its approving smiles support him in 
adversity : conscious rectitude will enable him to 
brave the evils and injustice of time, to rise supe- 
rior to all the tauntings of this world's ingrati- 
tude, to bear to be thought and spoken ill of, to 
submit to have his words and actions misinter- 
preted, and to be carried buoyant through all the 
difficulties of life. Where is to be found any ana- 
logous principle, elsewhere than in rational, moral, 
spiritual man ? 

Conscience is independent of education, though 
it may be improved by culture. It is discoverable 
with the earliest developement of mind ; as soon as 
a child knows right from wrong, it will pass sen- 
tence on its own actions, and the countenance will 
frequently betray the little offender; while, in after 
life, the crimson glow of shame, and the altered 
features, will often tell the torturing monitions of 
this interior judge, and will reveal even those 
thoughts of the heart which are scarcely ac- 
knowledged by the individual to himself. 

A still stronger proof of the power of conscience 
is to be found in the fact, that the very idea of 



154 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

being thought wrong, or of having one's actions 
misconstrued, or even the recollection of those 
embarrassing circumstances which have previously, 
though unjustly, produced " confusion of face," 
will renew that confusion, and will throw over the 
countenance the appearance of inexplicable blush- 
ing. This fact shows the great injustice which 
may be done to the most innocent, and the 
care which should be taken not to judge from ap- 
pearances, than which nothing can be more decep- 
tive, though they strongly illustrate the power of 
the faculty. 

Conscience is possessed in various degrees by 
different individuals : thus, there may be a tender 
conscience in one, a hardened conscience in ano- 
ther, an unenlightened conscience in a third, a 
stifled conscience in a fourth, a scrupulous con- 
science in a fifth, a capricious conscience in a sixth, 
and a fitful conscience in a seventh. And these 
differences are mainly dependent on the kind of 
education the individual has received, and the de- 
gree in which the voice of conscience has been 
fostered or opposed, the frequency with which it 
has been listened to or disregarded, and the in- 
fluence of habit in rendering more obtuse or acute 
its sensibility. 

That conscience will be the soundest which 
exists in a mind strong by nature,— one which has 
been enlarged by study, which has been imbued 
with just principles of moral and religious action, 
which has been accustomed to review its own deci- 
sions, and to weigh them in the balance of good, as 



OF BODY AND MIND. 155 

connected with the wants of society and the laws of 
God ; and which has habitually referred every 
portion of conduct, not to the feeling and inclina- 
tion of the moment, but to the immutable principles 
of truth. Thus will conscience be uniform in its 
awards; it will be tender without being irritable; 
it will be firm without sternness ; unyielding with- 
out obstinacy ; and consistent in every society, 
amidst the approving smiles of friends or the 
frowns of enemies, — proof against the shafts of 
ridicule, and the still more difficultly-resistible 
weapon of persuasion from those whom we love, 
and admire, and esteem. 

It is evident, from all this, that conscience must 
attach to spiritual existence, and, consequently, 
must form a proof of the immateriality of mind ; 
and its perversions, its want of regularity, its ap- 
parent assumption for sinister purposes, are all so 
many proofs of some perverting agency having 
passed upon this originally good principle. Thus, 
the conscience becomes hardened by a long course 
of inattention to its strivings with man ; it is un- 
enlightened in those who willingly are ignorant of 
the moral code laid down for their guidance; it is 
stifled by others, who, persisting in a course of evil, 
in opposition to their better judgments, must 
silence its uneasy warnings, in order to save them- 
selves from the constant gnawing of bitter reflec- 
tion ; it is scrupulous in those, who, attending more 
to the appearance of conduct before man, than to 
the reality of the principles from which it springs, 
are everywhere afraid to act, lest others should 



156 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

think them wrong, and thus too generally lose the 
opportunities for action, while they are debating 
the fruitless question of what others think of them ; 
it is capricious in those who, having no settled 
principles of action, will act, or abstain from action, 
under very similar circumstances, and without 
having a good reason to give for either course of 
conduct ; it is fitful in those who will be very con- 
scientious to-day, and relax their principles to- 
morrow, according to some change in their cir- 
cumstances or associations ; and it is often counter- 
feited by those who know that reason, and principle, 
and goodness, will be the best passport to certain 
advantages, and who really assume the appearance 
of this invaluable possession, in order that they 
may pass in the rank of friendship with those 
others who sincerely wish to do their duty to God 
and their neighbour. 

Now, where will there be found any approach to 
the existence and influence of such faculty except 
in man, in whom is superadded the spiritual prin- 
ciple which is destined to survive the wreck of his 
organisation ? It may be safely answered, No- 
ivhere. But if so, it follows that man possesses an 
unique principle superadded to his other common 
and ordinary mental manifestations — distinct from 
them, and belonging to him only, because he is a 
moral creature, and an heir of immortality. 

The soul, — the principle which animates and re- 
gulates, which guides, directs, modifies, and governs, 
all the intellectual and affective faculties, and upon 
which many of the purely bodily functions are more 






OF BODY AND MIND. 157 

or less dependent, — is in itself distinct from, and in- 
dependent of, any organised system of matter. 

A distinction lias been here drawn, which it is 
necessary to notice, because error in principle very 
frequently proceeds from admitting ineligible terms; 
these become current, and afterwards carry with 
them significations which, perhaps, the original 
employer never intended they should convey. 
Thus, a distinction has been made hetween the 
mind of man, which, in fact, (divested of all the 
obscurity purposely thrown upon the subject,) 
means the brain, representing the organ of which 
"mentation" is the function, and that which is termed 
the " theological soul" 

Now if this term were employed to represent the 
principle which in man, as a rational, moral, account- 
able being, is superadded to the mind of the highest 
order of all other animals, there would be no objection, 
and we might rise from the first developement of the 
nervous system, where there was no locomotion or 
volition in the ascending scale of animalisation, till 
we found a more perfectly developed brain, and 
with it the power of volition, locomotion, affection, 
and a something very analogous to thought and 
reason, wdth acute sensation and largely developed 
instincts : and this we might call mind. 

But this most perfect creature does not possess 
rational motive or reflective action ; is not con- 
scientious ; acts from impulse ; is not restrained 
by religious principle ; does not understand the 
habit of self-denial ; does not anticipate future 
consequences ; is not responsible for its conduct ; 



158 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

possesses not the sanction of human laws, social in- 
stitutions, moral teaching, or divine revelation. 
Therefore, in man there is a principle superadded, 
to which all these are traceable, and from which 
they emanate ; and this principle is the rational, 
accountable soul, which constitutes man a religious 
animal, and which forms the bond of union and 
connexion with his Maker, even the omnipotent 
Governor of the universe ; which receives his laws, 
bows to his commands, and obeys his will, unless 
previously alienated from proper dependence upon 
God. So far, then, as representing the immediate 
connexion between man and his Maker, through 
his rational soul, we would not object to the term 
" theological soul.' 9 

But inasmuch as the term has been covertly 
employed by those who believe man to be only a 
superior animal, endued with a more comprehen- 
sive nervous system ; that brain being of the same 
nature, but capable of more extensive action, being 
itself the seat of thought; its function being that 
of performing the various intellectual, affective, 
sensitive, and passionate actions of the body, and 
terminating there ; — man being, in fact, precisely 
what his organisation makes him ; and all the in- 
stitutions of society, all the laws of man, all the 
appointments of a christian country, being only so 
many incumbrances to freedom of action, and 
having no basis in truth or necessity ; it becomes 
us very narrowly to watch over the term, since, 
although it may be employed by many sincere 
philosophers to represent the affinity between the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 159 

soul and its Creator, or the soul which is fitted and 
destined for the study, the belief, and the practice 
of theology, as revealed to man by his Maker, yet 
it is also employed by many pseudo-philosophers as 
a convenient term to enable them to escape the 
odium of denying the existence of a responsible 
soul, and avowing atheism at once. But with these 
gentlemen it is employed to designate the soul of 
theologians ; a nonentity with which they have 
nothing to do, but which, for the convenience of 
their craftiness, it is desirable not to deny. 

Now, it is obvious, that it cannot be a matter of 
indifference, whether we employ terms of so doubt- 
ful a construction, that they admit of being em- 
ployed as truth, and yet may be rendered available 
for the propagation of the most cruel error ; and, 
therefore, we strongly recommend the friends of 
truth and humanity to abjure a phraseology so 
questionable, and to substitute soul only to repre- 
sent the spiritual part of man ; to represent that 
which makes him to differ from all other 
animals ; which makes him ruler over all those 
animals ; — and more than all, ruler over himself ; 
— which teaches him to subdue his inclinations, to 
love others better than himself, to exert himself in 
works of benevolence towards his fellow-men, and 
of piety towards God. 

It has been stated, that this soul is spiritual in its 
nature ; and that while it is allied with matter, and 
possesses matter for its servant and its organ, — its 
medium of communication between exterior and 
interior life ; yet that it is not a quality of matter, 



160 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

that it exists independent of matter ; and that it is 
distinct from any arrangement of nervous fibre of 
whatever kind, however simple or complicated, 
however refined or sublimated. 

As such, the soul is exempted in itself from all 
the changes of disorder, disease, decay, and death, 
so far as these are natural changes, operating upon 
bodily organisation. There are spiritual changes 
of growth, disorder, decay, death, renewal of life, 
&c. ; but all these do not come within our pro- 
vince. All we have to notice, is the way in which, 
not the soul itself, but its manifestations, are influ- 
enced, assisted on the one hand, or impeded on the 
other ; quickened or rendered obtuse ; perfected or 
perverted, through the instrumentality of causes 
and circumstances, which operate indirectly upon 
spirit, 'throug h the agency of its material organ. 

As these will come under our notice more parti- 
cularly in a subsequent part of our inquiry, we shall 
but glance at them in the present section. Let it 
be remarked, that these agencies are carried on 
invisibly ; that they cannot be demonstrated ; and 
yet, that the experience of all the thinking part of 
mankind has shown their influence to an extent so 
great, as not to escape the observation of any mode- 
rately accurate observer of himself. 

There are times when a state of unconquerable 
and unwonted sleepiness claims the supremacy, 
and forbids the student from continuing his pur- 
suits. It is frequently difficult to trace the cause 
of this oppression, and it often baffles every attempt 
at removal. During its persistence, the continuity 



OF BODY AND MIND. 161 

of thought is impossible ; the brain is disobedient • 
it is contumacious, and its contumacy is carried on 
into successful rebellion against the authority of 
its ruler. This state may sometimes be removed 
by medicinal agents, as tea, coffee, ammonia, wine, 
&c. ; but there are periods, when nothing will 
succeed. And this condition has a tendency to 
recur, perhaps for several successive nights, until 
the chain of morbid actions can be broken through. 

The influence of digestion upon the manifesta- 
tions of mind, is also considerable. During its 
progress, the nervous energy is accumulated about 
interior life ; there is a tendency to sleep ; and if 
not, there is no energy of cerebral manifestation; and 
during this time, the brain should never be called 
upon for intellectual action. The tw T o functions 
cannot go on actively, and at the same time com- 
fortably together ; intellectual pursuits should be 
carried on when the stomach is unemployed ; and 
the stomach should not be asked to conduct the 
digestive process, while the brain is busied with 
other objects of interest, emotion, or occupation. 
When any morbid condition of the stomach occurs, 
any temporary indigestion, then happens that 
distress to the brain, which renders it unfit for 
abstraction, or for any study of the severer kind. 

To these causes of disturbance might be added, 
atmospherical influence, as regards temperature, 
pressure, dryness, or dampness, &c. ; but we will 
not anticipate the observations to be made hereafter 
upon this subject. 

We close the present section by mentioning one 

M 



162 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

other feature which attaches to the mental mani- 
festations of man, viz. continued progression, at least 
till the organ begins to give way, — a property so 
totally distinct from any possessed by the lower 
animals, that it forms a very remarkable preroga- 
tive of his nature. 

Man's history is that of continued progress. 
Whereas the young of animals generally, nay, 
infinitely surpass him in the amount of their im- 
parted knowledge ; and therefore do at once what 
he could not do, even after a long course of instruc- 
tion ; yet they remain the same; they have no 
means of augmenting their knowledge ; for reason 
and experience, rational experience, are thrown 
away upon them : and while their original know- 
ledge is greater, and the accuracy and extent of 
their senses infinitely greater than his, yet they 
never get beyond that amount of information 
which is necessary to their conservation ; they 
never apply their first principles to new situations, 
but remain unchanged, while the essential cha- 
racter of man is that of constant change — constant 
progression : he is never contented to remain in one 
state ; he is conscious that nature has given him 
nothing except as a reward for his labour ; and that 
to that labour, she has attached a rich progress in 
intellect and virtue ; and that the former may be 
carried on till the brain begins to wear out, while 
the latter will be always improving, especially in 
proportion as he draws near to that better land, 
whither he is tending. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 163 

This is, however, so essential a principle in the 
mental constitution of man, and has so large an 
influence upon the mental manifestations in thought 
and feeling — in word, and actions, that it is neces- 
sary to appropriate a chapter to its particular con- 
sideration. 



m 2 



164 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



CHAPTER V. 



ON THE ESSENTIAL LAW OF PROGRESSIVE DEVE- 
LOPEMENT ENSTAMPED UPON THE CHARACTER 
OF INTELLECTUAL MAN. 

In our own country, as well as in the greater 
part of Europe, education has claimed for itself, 
during the last few years, such a degree of increas- 
ing attention, and has been followed by such a dis- 
play of augmented intelligence, that each year has 
widened the sphere of its operations, and has pre- 
sented for the mental husbandry, a soil more 
appropriate for the reception of the intellectual and 
moral seeds, as well as better calculated for their 
gradual developement and final maturity. 

From the very nature of the human mind, this 
distinctive characteristic will be more and more 
deeply marked, since it is essentially progressive ; 
and since, although it may blossom on earth, and 
be continually reaching onward towards perfection, 
the perfect fruit is only to be gathered in that 
ethereal region, where the faculties of the imma- 
terial soul shall have escaped the burden of mor- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



165 



tality, and shall be expanded in their final state of 
spiritual existence. 

It is remarkable, that the flame which was first 
kindled on the altar of individual charity, should 
have awakened a corresponding emotion wherever 
its agency has been felt ; so little can it be calcu- 
lated how far the exertions of one, may, by associ- 
ation, become ultimately productive of effects, far 
beyond the expectation of an original projector. 
No widely-spread and devastating conflagration 
has marked the advance of the light and heat 
which have been thus developed ; they have en- 
lightened without scorching ; they have warmed 
without consuming ; and they have relaxed without 
enfeebling. The domain of intellect has been 
enlarged, while it has been subjected to the will ; 
the emotions of the heart have been cherished, 
while the wild governance of the passions has been 
subdued ; and prejudice has been softened, while 
principle has been confirmed ; so that man has 
been continually becoming a more intelligent, a 
more reasonable, and a more moral creature. 

Would that we were not obliged to reverse the 
picture ; that we could believe* education to have 
produced unmixed good — good without alloy. But 
truth compels us to say, that, like many other 
terrestrial goods, it possess a mixture of evil, and 
that too of a somewhat fearful character. With 
the developement of intellect has arisen a conscious 
self-sufficiency, an over-weening love of personal 
importance, an impatience of control, a dislike of 



166 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

submission to wholesome restraint, an under- 
valuing of authority, a setting up of lawless incli- 
nation, as the supreme rule of ultimate appeal, a 
sacrifice of relative, social, and governmental ties 
upon the altar of individual caprice, and of a 
fashionable ultra-liberalism, which spurns at con- 
trol, disdains the reference to first principles, which 
can alone ensure correct conduct, and plunges at 
once into that anti-social system, in which man 
lives to himself, becomes the lawgiver to himself, 
and refers to himself and his wishes, as the standard 
of right and wrong. Thus a growing contempt of 
authority may be said to be the characteristic of 
our age. But this is an evil, which, though it 
confessedly detracts from that which otherwise 
would have been unmixed good, yet by no means 
destroys that good, or so perverts it as to render 
evil predominant. 

The good on the one hand, and the evil on the 
other, together with the conviction that the one 
may be increased, while the other is diminished, 
will lead us to state the indispensable necessity of 
attending to the inculcation of those first principles 
of action, without which, education can only be, at 
best, a longer or a shorter series of constitutional 
impulses, unharmonized by one master principle, 
unchastised by the modesty of true science, and 
unprepared to meet and combat with the difficul- 
ties of the way. The progress of mental develope- 
ment is a talent, which will become useful or 
mischievous, in proportion as the presiding mind, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 167 

which guides its agency, shall be imbued with just 
opinions, of its immediate objects, and ultimate 
destination. 

In order to render this developement successful, 
it is necessary to take enlarged views of its object, 
as well as of its subject. Man is not a simple piece 
of mechanism, governed by fixed laws, whose 
movements will remain harmonious, so long as a 
certain number of wheels and other similar con- 
trivances continue to act according to a prescribed, 
and necessarily unvarying plan, and so long as 
these remain subjected to the common agency of a 
medium atmospherical pressure. Neither is he a 
simple animal, a certain finer and more compli- 
cated machinery, whose attributes depend upon 
his organisation, and result from the harmonizing 
principle of life, superadded to this organic machi- 
nery, the creature of appetites and passions, of 
instincts and impulse. Nor is he finally a spiritual 
being, of whose mode of existence we can form but 
a very imperfect idea, and of whose essence we 
must remain perfectly ignorant ; a being wholly 
abstracted from the laws of animal nature, and 
incapable of being acted upon, except through the 
medium of intellectual and moral means. 

In fact, man is not an automaton — a simple 
animal — nor an unearthly being ; his instincts are 
few and feeble ; he is gifted with reason and re- 
flection, to guide and govern his purely animal 
propensities ; the manifestations of his mind are 
enlarged, and he possesses the highest moral sanc- 
tions for his control. Moreover, he has the power 



168 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of determining his own will ; and yet this will 
depends for its firmness and perseverance upon the 
healthy condition of the body in general, and upon 
the integrity of the brain in particular. 

Thus, then, to seek for mental developement in 
man, as a spiritual being only, would be to secure 
as signal a failure, though not with so fatally in- 
jurious a result, as forgetting altogether the im- 
material spirit, to address the exclusive attention 
to corporeal manifestations. 

Although it is true that the immaterial principle 
cannot be subjected to the processes of growth and 
decay— of health and disease — of tension and re- 
laxation — of tone and feebleness; yet it is equally 
true, that the manifestations of mind can only be 
recognized through the medium of bodily organisa- 
tion, and that these manifestations may be variously 
modified by the changing conditions of the cor- 
poreal organs, through which they are rendered 
apparent. Hence in a mind unaccustomed to dis- 
tinctions, the bodily mode may be confounded with 
the spiritual essence ; and error in judgment, if not 
more serious practical mischief, will be the con- 
sequence. 

This view of the subject for the process of mental 
developement, defines the real nature of its object, 
viz. to confer the greatest possible degree of ex- 
pansion upon the successive manifestations of mind, 
— to carry onward its every faculty to the highest 
reach of perfection — to procure the health of the 
body ; gradually to accustom it to bear without 
irritation a still greater frequency and energy of 



OF BODY AND MIND. lb'9 

intellectual association ; and to recollect, that, as 
a moral and responsible creature, man requires to 
be strengthened in all that is good, and coun- 
teracted in evil propensities — to have his passions 
subdued — his vices restrained, and the pure prin- 
ciples of moral action placed before him, and 
inwrought into every part of his character, so as 
to obtain the nearest possible approach to what 
he was originally pronounced to be by Omniscience, 
viz. very good! 

Thus, then, the object of mental developement 
may be defined to be, the closest attainable ap- 
proximation to the perfection of an ignorant crea- 
ture, which necessitates the zealous pursuit of 
intellectual acquisition ; and also, to the perfection 
of a dependent creature — dependent upon others 
during the first years of his existence ; dependent 
upon the body for the manifestation of his higher 
faculties, and dependent upon the Almighty Giver 
of all good, for his moral principles and virtues, 
and for the sanctions by which they are enforced. 

It is of great importance to watch the combined 
agency of these elements of mental character ; to 
trace the gradual recession of the instinctive night 
of infancy, as the day of reason dawns, and unfolds 
to our notice the several faculties of the spiritual 
mind ; to distribute and associate these according 
to a classification which shall facilitate our ac- 
quaintance with man, and then to hail the rising 
of that sun of perception, whose reflected beams 
can alone enable us to explore the nature and 
habits of the individual— his peculiar manifebta- 



170 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tions — his intellectual aptitudes — his moral prin- 
ciples — his religious duties and obligations ; and 
let it never be forgotten, that not only will the 
meridian of life be characterized by these early 
efforts, but that the evening of our days will close 
in gloom, or it will exhibit the mellowed tints of 
a departing summer's day, together with that 
peaceful and unruffled calm, which can arise only 
from the hushing to repose of the elemental storms 
of passion ; while this organ must depend upon 
the powerful agency of a controlling freedom of 
will, guided, governed, subdued, originated even, 
by the soft whisper of religious truth. 

Thus, then, it will be seen that intellectual cul- 
ture alone will be insufficient to form the character 
in all its length, and breadth, and strength, and 
depth of manifestation. Man does not live in a 
world of intellect; his time is not to be exclusively 
devoted to the luxury of thinking, and to receiving 
or communicating the stores of genius. Far other- 
wise ! He is virtually placed on earth as a social 
being ; he has relative duties to perform ; his 
talents have been conferred upon him, not merely 
as a source of selfish enjoyment, but as the means 
and instruments of usefulness, and of happiness 
to others. 

For the use he makes of these talents, he is 
deeply responsible; and he is placed in such a 
scene of trial and probation, as that moral good or 
evil will assuredly result from their cultivation, 
their neglect, or their abuse. It is not permitted 
to him to rest satisfied with any measure of intel- 



OF BODY AND MJND. 171 

lectual attainment, social good, relative duty, 
gentlemanlike feeling, or moral influence, while 
there remains an attainable point in advance upon 
any one^ or upon all of these routes ; while there 
can yet be found on earth one individual to instruct, 
to comfort, to protect, to please, or to improve; 
or while there exists virtue to love and to esteem — 
a God to serve and to obey — or a future state of 
rewards and punishments. 

Every process of mental improvement should 
have a direct or indirect reference to this final 
developement of spiritual life ; or it will fail of 
accomplishing its purpose ; and in the present 
age, a man must he a virtuous character, a philan- 
thropist, and a Christian, as well as a scholar and 
a philosopher ; or the exterior tinsel of letters and 
of wisdom will be tarnished by selfishness, pre- 
judice, and bigotry— the lustre of the human mind 
will be eclipsed, and society will retrograde into 
that original chaos, when it was without form and 
void. 

To secure this advantage, the heart, that is, the 
manifestation of feeling and passion, of virtue and 
vice, must be carefully studied. And that success 
may be obtained from this study, it must ever 
be recollected, that however these principles must 
result from spiritual motives and affections, still 
they must remain as unknown and inoperative, 
unless there was provided some medium of com- 
munication with exterior nature. This medium 
must of necessity be material and organic ; and as 
such, will be subjected to the common laws of 



172 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

animal life, to be improved by exercise, to be en- 
feebled by inaction, and to be destroyed by giving 
an undue preponderance to the influence of certain 
other bodily organs, which, but for great caution, 
may very grievously interfere with and impede 
the mental functions. 

This proposition may, perhaps, at first sight, 
appear startling to those who would contemplate 
only the spiritual nature of man ; but its truth will 
appear by reflecting, that man cannot even express 
his feelings except by signs and gestures ; that he 
cannot speak or write, without the harmonious 
influence of bones and muscles and nerves ; all 
of them so indubitably material, that we can never 
cease to admire the unknown contrivance which 
renders these material organs the willing servants 
of the spiritual principle. 

It follows, then, that to afford opportunities for 
the range of moral action ; to develope intellectual 
aptitudes, to foster good, and to repress evil 
propensities, and to exercise and improve the 
organs by which these manifestations are rendered 
sensible, are the first objects of mental culture. 

Moreover, in this pursuit, constant improvement 
or progression is the talisman by which the shafts 
of evil are to be blunted and rendered innocuous, 
and the tender shoots of virtuous action are to be 
protected and fostered. Man must not be suffered 
to grow up as a mere amplification of the child, in 
all its waywardness and selfishness, in all its paucity 
of attainment, with all its faults exaggerated, with 
all its ill-regulated desires, and all its augmented 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



173 



passions. The human heart will have been studied 
for nought, and will have been impressed in vain, 
unless it be improved ; unless the temper be amelio- 
rated ; unless the disposition be raised, and puri- 
fied, and ennobled, and sanctified ; and unless the 
peace and activity of the spiritual principle be 
ensured. 

This is not to be effected at once, as if by some 
creative power ; the great object to be constantly 
kept in view is that the present state of mental ma- 
nifestation has resulted from the years that are 
past, and should be a preparative for those which 
are to come. 

In this process of mental developement there is 
a sort of moral and intellectual growth, a species of 
tTriyevsmg, or production of part upon part, even 
nature's modelling process, which the mental culti- 
vator would do well to imitate ; for according to 
the beauty and aptitude of the motives, principles, 
and sentiments which he fosters, so will be the 
consecutive motives, and principles, and sentiments 
which will arise from their incorporation with the 
character ; and from their thus forming points 
for the commencement and carrying on future 
moral growths. 

There is, however, this difference, that whereas 
in animal and vegetable productions there is a. point 
at which growth is arrested, a short-lived maturity 
is enjoyed, and the process of gradual decay com- 
mences, there is no such limit to mental expansion ; 
every renewed acquisition is an earnest of more 
growth ; and it can never be said that the mind is 



174 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

perfect until it has been abstracted from life, and 
even then, we know not but that its spiritual cha- 
racter of progression may cleave to it, and that its 
higher powers will be constantly advancing by 
exercise, and developing by accessions of new and 
more extensive knowledge. 

Be this as it may, mental progress in good or 
evil now will be incessant ; the mind must have 
food, and it will grow ; the grand question for the 
mental and moral philosopher is, whether it shall 
be furnished with wholesome nutriment or with 
poison ; whether its advance shall consist in the 
lurid luxuriance of the deadly nightshade of selfish- 
ness, or in the unobtrusive but fruit-bearing blade, 
which will issue in a crop of genuine principles of 
sterling value. 

But it may be asked, How is the attainment of 
this great good to be secured, if it be opposed to 
the natural current of the passions and inclinations, 
— if it contravene, as it most assuredly does, the 
natural perversity of the human will, — if it do not 
consist in the simple developement of intellect, nor 
in the growth of the affections ; and w T hile it is 
interminably hostile to every species of ignorance, 
as well as to all the charlatanism of systematic 
education ? 

This end is to be accomplished only by the 
education of principle — of principle which will be 
available under all the changing circumstances of 
life ; which will afford a guide for the application 
of intellect ; which will give laws to the passions, 
and regulate the heart ; which will ©ontrol the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 175 

wanderings, and define the just boundaries of the 
imagination ; which will give energy and w 7 isdom 
to the affective faculties, shall become a primary 
motive to action, and shall direct every the minutest 
portion of conduct. It is genuine principle alone 
which can afford a sufficient sanction to the require- 
ments of virtue, or give security for their just appli- 
cation in life ; or upon which character can be 
safely formed, since it must be everywhere pre- 
eminent, or it is absolutely void ; since to it nothing- 
can be unimportant, nothing indifferent, while every 
thing must tend to advance or to impede that 
progressive march towards perfection, which forms 
the only worthy pursuit of a rational and immortal 
creature. 

This principle can only be found in religion — a 
term by many misunderstood, and by others de- 
rided and calumniated, but which may be shortly 
defined to consist in obedience to the command- 
ments of God ; not in any visionary or enthusiastic 
system of belief, but in the pure precepts of simple 
Christianity. Without this principle to purify and 
ennoble the heart, time, and a residence amidst 
the contentions of society, would impair, instead of 
improving the moral sense, and would debase^ 
rather than ennoble the intellectual attributes- 
Wanting this foundation, it would be futile to 
expect that any process of mental training would 
place the young in a situation favourable to their 
fulfilling one clay the destination of their existence, 
because the object propounded by religion consists 
in the practical desire after the greatest possible 



176 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

share of happiness here in the acquisition of know- 
ledge and the performance of duty ; and having 
passed through this probationary scene, hereafter, 
in the fruition of rewards which are reserved for 
those who have so lived, in the performance of 
duties, with just views, and from proper motives. 

It is necessary to make a distinction between 
happiness and pleasure ; the latter may arise from 
a variety of sources, which will not only not confer, 
but which are absolutely inimical to the former; 
while happiness will accrue from many circum- 
stances which are incapable of imparting pleasure, 
as, for instance, from self-denial. 

It has been observed, that pursuit is the great 
secret of mental serenity ; and this is so far true, 
that without it there can be no comfort, while a 
state of inaction is absolutely fatal to enjoyment ; 
yet there may be unwearied pursuit without happi- 
ness. It is not simply in possessing a constant 
object of desire — not even if it be one of vehement 
passion, that the essence of happiness consists : it is 
necessary that the object should be characterised by 
offering a sufficient and satisfactory good as the re- 
sult of its attainment. 

This position may appear hypothetical, but it is 
every way proven in life ; the votary of pleasure 
nightly seeks his pillow with a consciousness of 
disappointment and dissatisfaction, yet awakens to 
pursue, with eagerness worthy of a better cause, 
the same course, to be recompensed by grasping 
the same mortification at the close of each conven- 
tional section of time. There bustling activity of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 177 

pursuit cannot cheat the mind with the illusion of 
being happy, because its attention is so dissipated 
and distracted, that it has no time to listen to the 
suggestions of intellect, or to the better emotions of 
the heart, till the hour of retiring arrives ; and 
then exhausted nature claims her privilege of enve- 
loping disappointment and chagrin with her obli- 
vious mantle ; and then the victim of unsatisfactory 
pursuit awakens to a renewal of the same efforts 
upon the simple stimulus which arises from the 
craving after action, and from having no other 
action prepared for its notice. Still, it will be 
seen that this is really a perversion of the principle 
of progression implanted in the human breast. 

The same remarks will apply even to intellectual 
objects, if they form an exclusive pursuit. There 
is, however, here, some degree of satisfaction de- 
pending upon the just employment of one section 
of the man. Attention to this truth will unravel 
the secret of happiness ; for it is attainable exactly 
in proportion as the object of pursuit is accompa- 
nied by some substantial good. The acquisition of 
knowledge is good, and therefore its pursuit is, to a 
certain extent, productive of solid advantage. 
Where this knowledge is employed to enlighten 
and improve those around us, it is attended with a 
still greater share of satisfaction ; but he alone can 
be pronounced truly happy, who approaches nearest 
to the perfection of the human character in the 
largest developement of intellect, in the most ex- 
tensive application of his resources for the benefit 

N 



178 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of his fellow-men, and in the most complete devo- 
tion of his faculties to the service of his Maker. 

It will be further remarked, that the greatest 
capacity for happiness will be enjoyed by him who 
has the most expanded mental power; and the 
desire after its possession may, therefore, form a 
powerful motive for the developement of the facul- 
ties, and for their subordination to the moral 
principles. Without a large mind, the sphere of 
duty is everywhere contracted within narrow 
limits ; it consists almost entirely in automatic 
action, — it is the result of a mere animal mecha- 
nism, of which the moving principle is life.* 

But there should be a will to direct these move- 
ments, to preside over them, and give them point ; 
there should be the constant aspiration of an 
immortal principle superadded to life ; and the first 
manifestation of this principle should be the desire 
after moral good. 

When, indeed, we look to the history of man, we 
shall find that this has been an inoperative principle ; 
yet its traces may be dimly descried through the 
tumult of surrounding passions, and the perverting 
influence of conflicting feelings and emotions. 
The first impression of the Creator's hand upon his 
rebellious and ungrateful creature, man — that 
which constituted him " very good" cannot be 
wholly effaced ; there are principles to work upon ; 
the great object is to direct these principles, so that 
instead of allowing the mind to lie waste, or to be 
* See subsequent chapter. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 179 

overgrown by weeds, the seeds of good conduct 
may be sown, and fostered, and matured : for it 
may be assumed, as an unquestioned fact, that hap- 
piness and virtue are, and ever will be, inseparably 
united ; and that to the enjoyment of the former 
the possession of the latter is an indispensable pre- 
requisite. 

While many persons so constantly exhibit proofs 
of failure in their pursuit after happiness, it is safe 
to infer, either that there is nothing fixed or deter- 
minate in the mode of obtaining it, or that the 
right road is ignorantly or perversely abandoned. 
And since real happiness has been shown to consist 
in the exercise of virtuous principle, if it be not dis- 
covered, it must follow that it is not sought after 
in the exercise of this principle, and in the conse- 
quent submission of the heart to its dictates, and to 
the commandments of him from whom virtue takes 
its origin, and towards whom correct action will 
always tend ; but in the half-informed exercise of 
reason, or in the vagaries of imagination, or in the 
results of a defective experience. 

Now, all these are inadequate guides. The very 
circumstance, that the gifts of reason and the mani- 
festations of understanding are progressing, and 
that to secure this advance they require education 
and cultivation, proves that they are imperfect. 
Imagination, though a highly useful auxiliary, and 
the most important groundwork of that belief, 
whose very essence consists in obedience, would 
lead astray the devoted wanderer if its agency 
were uncontrolled ; and the errors which are occa- 

n 2 



180 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

sioned by drawing general conclusions from a 
limited experience are of daily occurrence. 

If, then, man would but consider how small a 
section of the universe he can be acquainted with, 
he would acknowledge that the largest experience 
would be insignificant, compared with the general 
mass of facts ; and he would learn diffidence from 
the consideration, that all his premises and conclu- 
sions would, in comparison with such mass, appear 
as isolated circumstances, and deserving of no more 
attention than would attach to them as such. 
Since, then, man has no certain guide to happiness 
in himself, and since its possession would seem to 
be inseparable from the practice of virtue, it may 
be inferred that it is not to be attained in anything 
short of the exercise of this principle. 

The fullest enjoyment is not to be possessed in a 
situation where every wish is gratified ; the lesser 
trials and difficulties which are inseparable from a 
life of probation really add to its interest, because 
they give a zest to the principle of progression, by 
calling upon man for a constant and an increasing 
effort to overcome them. It would be great injus- 
tice to the young, if their happiness were studied 
by the removal of every little obstacle from their 
way, because these difficulties really serve to season 
the current of life, to render it more palatable by 
taking away its insipidity, and to prepare the 
thoughtless and the inexperienced for more im- 
portant occasions. 

A state in which every wish was accomplished 
would be fatal to desire, as well as to energy of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 181 

action ; it would be tiresome from monotony, and 
painful from possessing no sufficient motive to 
exertion, no adequate sensation to produce sus- 
tained self-denial, or to ensure the growth and 
maturity of social virtue. There can be no con- 
tinued happiness where the individual is stationary, 
much less should he retrograde — there must be 
progress ; the faculties must be energetically em- 
ployed ; and this is not to be expected, unless an 
end of adequate importance be furnished as an ap- 
propriate stimulus. And since this is not to be 
found in any temporary good, nor in anything 
short of that future good which will completely fill 
and exercise the bosom, it is evident that the 
powers of the imagination must be placed in re- 
quisition to assist the mind in realizing the supreme 
future good, reaching onward through hope, and 
faith, and confidence, to that distant end which is 
attainable, but which will only be possessed by 
progressive advances, and by a gradual unfolding 
of the pursuit after, and of the enjoyment of, those 
invisible realities which form the great object of 
the good man's hope or desire. 

Increase of moral virtue, or the fulfilment of the 
appetite after perfection, results from this view. 
For as it is in the career of literary acquisition, — 
in the pursuit of scientific inquiry, — in the deve- 
lopement of relative interest, — and in the cultiva- 
tion of that charity which has for its object the 
wide family of man ; so will it be found also here, 
that every fresh step in advance is not only a point 



182 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

gained, but that it confers the capacity for still 
greater happiness. 

Now this is in itself a source of satisfaction, be- 
cause the mind feels that it is growing, expanding 
its beauties, augmenting its stores, and yielding its 
meed of usefulness to society. But it is more than 
this, for by its very progress it is constantly ren- 
dered susceptible of still greater improvement, 
while the difficulties which oppose its advance are 
smoothed away ; its native strength is increased ; 
and the knowledge necessary for its judicious ap- 
plication is acquired. 

In proportion to the number and importance of 
these points or resting-places will be the degree of 
individual happiness ; since its sources will be 
multiplied, and the means of their cultivation will 
be more accurately defined ; for the judgment will 
be better informed, and the imagination will be 
kindled, and taste will be purified, and feeling will 
be refined, and every faculty will be exalted, and 
rendered a new expression of delight, and the 
means of widening usefulness. 

In moral progress, increasing beauty and aug- 
mented value must never be separated. Thus it is 
in nature. By one of its primaeval laws, the tender 
blade, which we first notice in the autumn, during 
the general decay which reigns around, is in itself 
an object of interest ; its w inter of infancy is, how- 
ever, passed without exciting much attention ; in 
the early spring we again notice its freshened 
charms ; every day adds to its beauty ; but it is 



OF BODY AND MIND. 183 

only when it has passed through the discipline of 
sunshine and cloud, storm and wind, that its full 
value is developed, and that the well-laden shock 
of corn gladdens the eye, and is associated with the 
kindred feeling of gratitude for the many whose life 
will be sustained, and whose comfort will be pro- 
moted by its instrumentality. 

So, also, with regard to the oak : it is sown an 
apparently insignificant body ; its early shoots 
afford a promise of increasing pretensions ; but 
many summers will pass over before it will exhibit 
the additional beauty of flowers and fruit, and very 
many more before it will have reached the fulness 
of its maturity. 

So is it with man : his progress may be slow, 
but still he does advance, and every year gives him 
newly-developed attributes ; he may have his 
periods of apparent indolence, but the spring-tide 
of action returns, and is always attended with 
augmented means of usefulness. Be it, however, 
remembered, that man is liable to a process of de- 
terioration and decay — of progressive loss of power 
— and of debasement of the will. 

But when once the essential law of progress is 
interrupted, and man becomes stationary, he will 
assuredly retrograde, because the stimulation of 
every day will exhaust, unless fresh strength be 
constantly accumulating ; and then what will be 
the consequence ? The faculties will become ob- 
tuse ; the views will be obscured ; the perception 
will be clouded ; judgment will be deprived of its 
data, and the will of its power ; the imagination 



184 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

will be stunted ; taste will be chained down by the 
objects of sense, and feeling will be animalized. 
Thus, the manifestations of mind will appear as the 
blighted production of an unfavourable season, 
while the vacillating will precludes the continuance 
of good desire, descries no beauty in moral virtue, 
and therefore has no wish to imitate or pursue it. 

How important is it, then, that the developement 
of the human mind should rest on principle, and 
that the said principle should consist, not in any 
speculative advantage, but in obedience to the will 
of the moral Governor of the universe. But if so, 
the object to be sought is not a life of expediency, 
whose growth and advancement are to be measured 
by an increasing amount of usefulness, or of intel- 
lectual attainment ; it is not the simple enjoyment 
of virtue, nor the pleasures or consolations of 
religion ; nor is it the fervour of enthusiasm ; but 
it is a system of duty defined by the moral law of 
the Supreme Legislator, and requiring regular con- 
formity to its letter and its spirit. In one word, it 
is not the result of excited feeling, but of faithful 
obedience. The two ideas should never be dis- 
joined ; and it would be well for those who so 
liberally employ this much- abused term "faith" 
to recollect that the idea here given of the insepa- 
rable nature of faith and works is classically in- 
volved in the very derivation of the word, since 
7ri(7Tic, faith, claims for its root rreiBofiai, to obey, or 
to be obedient; the faith cannot exist unaccompanied 
by the works; and good works should always proceed 
from that exercise of the reasoning and imaginative 



OF BODY AND MIND. 185 

powers which realizes futurity, and which believes 
because God has revealed. 

In this way it will be seen that expediency yields 
to the declared will of Heaven ; the desire of use- 
fulness, though it be cultivated into passion, is not 
to be constituted the end of action. Intellect, 
though it be richly valued, is not to be unduly 
exalted beyond its proper subordinate situation. 
Virtue is to be esteemed for itself, rather than for 
the reward attached to its exercise. Religion is 
to be admired, not for the present good which it 
confers, but for its restoring man, degraded man, 
to a higher state of existence, and freshening 
anew that pristine beauty which has been so much 
lost by the introduction of evil into that creation 
which was once very good. 

This principle of evil will be continually at war 
with these results, and life will be passed in an 
interminable struggle between the duties of prin- 
ciple and the inclinations of passion. This is no 
novel or controvertible assertion ; nor is it extraor- 
dinary, for almost all, if not all, the phenomena of 
the physical world result from a sustained counter- 
agency, and could not be continued without its 
influence. 

Even if the reasonableness of this proposition 
were not manifest upon very transient reflection ; 
yet if we scrutinize the inner man, if we notice 
what is passing around us, or if we appeal to past 
experience, we shall find a principle of evil con- 
stantly opposing the suggestions of good, and only 
calculated (if the powers of the mind be justly 



186 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

balanced) to afford that continual stimulus to action, 
which will preserve slothful man from slumbering 
on his way over this probationary scene, and which 
would secure his constantly seeking after a higher 
state of existence. 

But this balance is destroyed : the happiness of 
futurity loses its supremacy in the heart, through 
the enjoyment of present trifles ; and man listens to 
the suggestions of wayward inclination, rather than 
to the convictions of conscience and the demands of 
duty. In the developement of mental power and 
action, therefore, it is of the first importance to 
foster and promote the one, and to encourage the 
other. 

Religion affords the only adequate method of 
effecting these objects, since its hopes will stimulate 
the former, while its sanctions will operate a trans- 
fer of superiority to the latter. Let it be recollected, 
that it is the perfection of our present faculties 
which will constitute the happiness of heaven, a 
state in which the attention will be fixed on the 
sublimest truths, perception will be unencumbered 
by materiality, reason will be elevated by know- 
ledge, the imagination will be filled by all that is 
lovely, conscience will be guided by virtue, and that 
desire after excellence which still cleaves as a 
principle to man, who will no longer require 
intense application, and careful examination and 
correction ; since the power of acquisition, and the 
varied modes of intelligence and feeling, will all be 
ennobled. 

Now, although this state may not be attainable 






OF BODY AND MIND. 187 

by the most assiduous efforts of the psychologist, it 
is yet to be sought after ; and though perfection 
may not be reached, amelioration may. Let the 
highest standard of attainment be the object 
pursued ; for, assuredly, human exertion will fall 
far short of whatever limit may have been chosen 
as the term of labour. In a word, those faculties 
which relate to man's sojourn here below, and those 
which prepare him for his future state of existence, 
are to be developed : in both instances, he is to be 
dissatisfied with mediocrity, and discontented with 
any stationary point ; he is to recollect, that there 
is a principle of decay, as well as of growth, and 
that the activity of the latter will depend upon the 
subjugation of the former ; while the will to pursue, 
and the means of accomplishing these designs, 
should become objects of peculiar attention. 

It may, however, be asked, what is the perfection 
here intended, since absolute perfection it cannot 
be, from the nature of things, as well as from the 
terms of the proposition ? When we contemplate 
man's organisation, and consider that a material 
structure is necessary, and has been appointed for 
the manifestations of his mind ; and that his 
spiritual powers are impaired by this dependence ; 
when we look for the expansion of his intellectual 
views, and observe, that, notwithstanding his largest 
desires, a limit is everywhere placed to his re- 
searches ; and when we reflect upon his moral 
position in this world, in a scene of trial and pro- 
bation, in the midst of difficulties arising from 
himself, and from those with whom he stands asso- 



188 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



ciated, we shall conclude that imperfection attaches 
to his every progress, and cleaves to him through 
life; witness the narrowed understanding — the 
perverted affections — the defective memory — the 
toil of cultivation! — the necessity for constant 
advice, counsel, and guidance ; all proving, that in 
his present state of being, absolute perfection cannot 
attach to any of his thoughts, words, or actions, 
except perhaps in some few instances which admit 
of demonstration. 

Thus mechanical science may be perfected ; but 
then, the multiplied failures before this point has 
been attained, — the difficulty with which it is ever 
reached, — and the doubt, whether the assumed point 
of perfection may only form a resting-place in 
the history of man's progress, from which a fresh 
start may yet be successfully made, afford corro- 
borating evidence of the general truth, and lead to 
the conclusion, that there is none good but One — 
that is God : and that there is none perfect, but 
the One from whom all approach to perfection has 
originated. 

Perfection is only to be attained in proportion as 
man resembles his Maker. As man is truly an 
imitative creature ; and as the example of the 
Supreme has been proposed for his adoption, his 
aim should be to approach this standard of moral 
excellence, so far as his powers and opportunities 
will admit. In the pursuit after relative perfection, 
every encouragement is afforded to industry ; and 
surely, to fulfil the design of creation, and to restore 
in any degree man's original likeness to his Maker, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 189 

is no mean recompense to those who sincerely wish 
to banish ignorance, and advance the light of 
knowledge. And not only does this prospect exist 
from the very nature of things, (as that it must be 
constantly augmenting,) but a promise of success 
is specially retained for those who earnestly and 
sincerely seek to obtain it. 

It is a fixed principle, that every being, and 
every thing, is perfect in proportion as it accom- 
plishes the design for which it was produced. Now, 
so far as we are acquainted with the secret inten- 
tions of nature, whether exhibited in the mighty 
circle of the universe, or in the completeness of its 
minutest details, we find the attribute of perfection 
stamped upon them all ; and although there are 
many processes, of which we cannot fathom the 
rationale, yet, as those which we do understand are 
perfect, we believe that the same character attaches 
to those which are unknown ; and the reason why 
we cannot comprehend them, is to be found in our 
own want of research, or in the imperfection of our 
powers, 

Why man, originally pronounced very good, 
should now seem to be the only imperfect creation of 
the Omnipotent, has been already explained ; and 
it has been shown, that this does not originate in 
less care, or wisdom, or goodness in the Almighty 
Designer, but in wilful man's corruption of himself, 
and in his obstinate wanderings from the right 
path. 

This truth should, however, operate as a stimulus 
for him to endeavour to regain a property which 



190 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

he lias so miserably lost ; and since he cannot 
fathom the essential attributes of bodies around him, 
nor unravel the purposely concealed designs of the 
Almighty, nor enter into the comprehensive views 
of infinite knowledge; and since a load of imperfec- 
tion rests upon his highest efforts and best designs, 
all he can do is wisely to consider wherein consists 
the perfection of the divine character, and to imitate 
this exemplar, as far as the utmost limit of his 
talents will allow. It is impossible to form an idea 
f the nature and properties of a purely spiritual 
being ; it is therefore the attributes of the Creator, 
as exhibited in his works, and as revealed in his 
Word, which are proposed for our imitation ; and 
the prevailing characteristics of this magnificent 
display of wisdom, and knowledge, and power, 
and mercy, and benevolence, may be shortly stated 
to consist in regularity, beauty, and utility. 

Without order and harmony, this beautiful world 
would be a chaos, and would quickly crumble 
into ruins ; and those magnificent bodies which 
we notice whirling in immensity, would be de- 
stroyed by collision with each other ; while their 
undeviating appearance, the alternation of day and 
night, the succession of the seasons, and its conse- 
quences upon nature's widely-extended domain, all 
exhibit the impress of regularity. 

From this uniformity of action results in great 
measure that perfect beauty, which attends the per- 
formance of all nature's operations, and which we 
can only understand in proportion as we become 
more intimately acquainted with processes which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 191 

(while remaining in ignorance) would inspire far 
other emotions ; that is, till the ray of truth had 
enabled us to explain reasonably what at first sight 
seem inexplicable, and was therefore an object 
of fear, or of blind and superstitious admiration, 
rather than of that sublime and satisfying emotion, 
which arises from embracing a design, and from 
entering into the means for its accomplishment. 

But, again, nothing has been produced without 
an intention of usefulness. It is indeed true, that 
we cannot always trace this property ; but since we 
find it impressed upon all, with which we are 
thoroughly acquainted, we cannot doubt that it 
does everywhere exist : and since, within a few 
years, we have discovered the wisest provisions in 
circumstances which we could not previously com- 
prehend, it does not require a large stretch of 
candour to extend this principle of belief to other 
processes, which as yet we cannot fathom. 

The first maxim, then, of reaching onwards towards 
perfection, is to introduce harmony and regularity 
into the manifestations of mind, to develope the 
intellectual powers, to regulate the passions, and to 
hold them in just subordination to every object of 
good, and particularly to the performance of the will 
of Heaven. 

This point being; attained, the mental machinerv 
ought to work well, and spontaneously to elicit that 
moral beauty, which can only originate from a due 
cultivation of talent— and from an adequate mani- 
festation, yet judicious subjugation, of feeling and 



192 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

passion and affection, to the great design of 
creation, viz. the glory of the Creator ! 

Much has been written on the nature of beauty ; 
and without entering into any curious disquisition 
on the subject, it is important to ascertain, wherein 
consists moral beauty. This inquiry will be facili- 
tated, by ascertaining in what consists the beauty 
of the material objects around us, and we shall 
probably trace its sources to their sublimity — to 
their possessing properties which are agreeable to 
the senses; and to the wise adaptation of these 
properties to fill the particular space which nature 
has designed. 

And if so, by parity of reasoning, moral beauty 
will attach to objects and principles, in proportion 
as they extend beyond the present scenes, and 
trend onwards to that state of perfect being, of 
which the sublimest conceptions of the human 
mind can form such an inadequate notion ; in pro- 
portion as they fulfil the particular design of the 
Almighty Maker — give the widest expansion to 
man's intellectual powers— excite the admiration 
of his compeers, and are more extensively useful ; 
and in proportion as they ennoble his desires, purify 
and exalt his wishes, and render him more and more 
anxious to complete the design of his being ; an 
object, notwithstanding, which seems ever increas- 
ingly distant as his knowledge is developed, and as 
the importance of imitating that moral beauty which 
is " altogether lovely," is more impressively felt. 

But from these premises it will follow, that there 
can be no moral beauty in anything which under- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 193 

mines the simple natural impression (and much less 
in aught which contravenes it) of any law of nature 
or of God ; since in the former case motive must 
be distorted from its simple design ; and in the 
latter, it must be opposed to the will of Him who 
is moral excellence ! 

Wherever these properties attach to man, the 
remaining attribute necessary to compose a finished 
idea of the doctrine of human perfection, is that of 
usefulness. Nothing has been created in vain ; 
and if the law of utility really attaches to the 
lowest productions of the Almighty Architect, how 
much more to his best and highest effort in the 
creation of man in his own likeness — the image of 
perfection ! 

The solid productions of this process of mental 
and moral developement may not always excite 
the admiration of the gay, the giddy, and the 
thoughtless, but they will always command esteem. 
In every department of man's daily history, the 
standard chosen for imitation is the revelation of 
the moral attributes of God. Without the infusion 
of this master principle, the character will want 
its great quality of moral beauty ; it will be cold 
and calculating — selfish, and narrow-minded ; it 
will be the mere child of reason — dispassionate, 
indeed, but wanting in that energy of action, and 
unity of design, which can alone result from en- 
listing the affections, as motives to action and 
exertion. 

Reason, only, it is true, may make a very useful 
member of society— of the family — of the common- 

o 



194 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

wealth, for reason alone will teach man to be 
careful of his own interest; and he will soon learn, 
that in this care is involved, not only the necessity 
for not injuring the welfare of others, but even the 
design of promoting it. Reason alone will make 
him a man of enlightened and cultivated mind, 
in order that he may extend for himself the plea- 
sures of intellectual acquisition — become more 
generally acceptable, and (since knowledge is 
power) that he may widen the opportunities of 
influence over those around him ; finally, reason 
alone will make him the advocate of religion as a 
system of morals, because it is the protectress and 
only rewarder of virtue. 

The reasonable character, however, when tried 
by the tests just recommended, will be found want- 
ing in moral beauty ; that is, its manifestations 
of mind will need the essential attribute of religion 
in order to constitute them truly valuable. The 
difference is precisely this ; — the man of reason 
only, possesses a methodical regularity of move- 
ment, which may even amount to mechanical 
certainty, and we may therefore calculate upon his 
conduct ; but the man of reason and religion 
combined, possesses claims to affectionate esteem, 
from the lessened agency of selfishness, and from 
the proportionably increased devotion of the heart 
and understanding, and will, to the real comfort 
and advantage of his fellow man, and to the glory 
of God. 

Such being the nature of the abstract principle 
of perfection, it may be worth while to notice its 



OF BODY AND MIND. 195 

application to real life, and to those natural and 
social inequalities which are so plentifully inter- 
spersed throughout its course. The feebleness of 
nature, which depends upon the mysterious union 
of mind with matter ; and the degree in which the 
manifestations of the former are impeded by the 
greater or less inaptitude of the latter towards its 
more purely spiritual function ; the animal pecu- 
liarities which are handed down from the present 
race to posterity — the great varieties of temper and 
disposition — and the varying modes of expression 
and of feeling, arising from the influence of phy- 
sical temperament, will place obstacles in the 
onward reach towards perfection, and will often 
constitute an insuperable barrier to success. 

Again, the influence of society, as it operates 
upon large classes of individuals, is opposed to 
much progress. In intellect, in feeling, in action, 
in motive, and in principle, a degree of sluggish 
contentment impairs the energy of the mind, and 
leaves it satisfied with a measure of acquisition far 
short of that which it might grasp. Man is na- 
turally indolent, and he will not bestir himself 
energetically, unless he have a powerful motive for 
so doing. And should he want the excitement of 
emulation — should he find other minds around him 
contented with a low standard, then will he be 
satisfied with a paucity of mental manifestation, 
very far short of what he might accomplish by the 
diligent application of his mental energies. 

These very energies are not always equally sus- 
ceptible of improvement. Although they ought 

o 2 



196 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

not to have been such as we usually find them in 
adult life, under the influence of neglect, perverse 
will, rooted habit, confirmed prejudice, and evil 
example, yet under the best moral discipline, and 
the most judicious management, there will be found 
original predispositions which must be studied — 
those which lead to beneficial results should be 
encouraged, while those which conduct towards 
dangerous errors (and what error can there be 
which is not dangerous ?) must be repressed. 

It will often happen, that some very important 
faculty exists in so minus a state, and is so com- 
pletely overshadowed by some more prominent and 
commanding attribute, that it will require great 
care to draw it out from concealment, and to give 
it every fostering advantage, in order that it may 
fairly compete with the greater original strength 
and opportunities of some more superficial and, 
perhaps, more striking quality. 

Now the principle of treatment in these cases, 
is not to stimulate any dominant attribute, so that 
the character might become l'enowned for one par- 
ticular excellence — but to obtain developement of 
all the faculties in such proportion, that no one 
shall interfere with the regularity, beauty, and 
moral worth of any other, or of the whole ; and 
to preserve all the manifestations of mind in just 
keeping with any one individual expression. 

In accomplishing this, faculties which have been 
benumbed by inattention must be roused from their 
frozen slumber; those which have been enticed 
into precocious maturity must be thrown into the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 197 

background ; and the original strength of their 
several peculiarities must be consulted, and dili- 
gently ascertained, in order to maintain the har- 
monious equilibrium of the whole. Moral prin- 
ciple will often afford s the boundary-line, beyond 
which it would be dangerous to employ any talent 
however dazzling by its brilliance, however tempt- 
ing by its associations, or by its native facility of 
cultivation. 

Thus, for instance, vanity is often developed in 
the breast by a conscious possession of some pre- 
dominating faculty, which gives success among 
compeers and competitors; it becomes attached 
to this success, and exactly in proportion as it does 
so, virtue loses its attraction and excellence, no 
longer forms an object for imitation ; moral worth 
and substantial good obtain a diminished interest, 
and, at all events, their influence is greatly circum- 
scribed ; the idea of duty is lost in the self- 
gratulation of triumph ; while the conscious self- 
importance which is the consequence of this success, 
induces its subject to despise, or, at all events, 
lightly to esteem the talents of equals ; the benevo- 
lent affections are repressed— the energy of imita- 
tation as regards good example is paralyzed ; the 
character thinks to its own exclusive standard, and 
a superficial but showy manifestation ill conceals 
the poverty of the soil whence it originates. And 
since love to God, and our neighbour, are indica- 
tions of mental growth, and since these are ulti- 
mately undermined by the exclusive culture we 
have contemplated, we can but infer the importance 



198 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of maintaining a just proportion in the several 
indications of mind, especially of the intellectual 
and affective faculties. 

Another obstacle in the way of successful pro- 
gress towards perfection, consists in a want of 
adaptation of the means to the peculiar or probable 
situation in life of each individual ; so that the 
faculties more particularly required in after life 
may be timely developed, and duly exercised. 
That plan of developement will contribute most to 
the ultimate happiness and worth of mankind, 
which educes most effectually habits of real thought, 
combined with such principles of conduct as shall 
form a good social character, a good citizen, and a 
good Christian. 

This is not attainable by any mere system of 
teaching ; intellectual knowledge will be the only 
result of such process ; and unless the heart be 
stored with principles of conduct, nothing has yet 
been done, as it ought to be done. If this be 
neglected, all the religious instruction conveyed in 
creeds and catechisms, and committed to memory 
as a task, will be useless — will drop as barren 
flowers, and will yield no fruit. 

This, however, is not the fault of catechetical 
instruction, which is highly valuable; the evil 
consists in weighing down the memory with a load 
of questions and answers, which never reach beyond 
that faculty, and which are consequently inopera- 
tive upon conduct. Instruction must reach the 
heart, if it would give laws to the understanding, — 
define the use of the intellectual powers — and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 199 

impose those moral restraints, wanting which, with 
all the temptations of passion, all the opportunities 
of influence, and all the provocatives of society, 
the voice of virtue would be stifled, and would be 
supplanted by the impulse of selfish desire ; man 
would become the slave of vice, and would deform 
instead of ornamenting the creation of the Al- 
mighty. 

The importance of mental developement is further 
demonstrated by its influence upon religious belief; 
for it is manifest, that without active intelligence 
this would soon degenerate into superstition. If 
the creed should involve practically a system of 
irrational agency and supernatural influence ; if it 
were independent of the thoughts and affections — 
if its observances were grounded on the apprehen- 
sion of some unknown future evil, to avert which 
certain forms of devotion are to be employed — if 
it were to become the result of passion rather than 
of conviction ; if the Deity were represented as an 
object of dread, rather than of love — as threatening 
punishment rather than as abundant in mercy — as 
clothed with anger, rather than as delighting in 
the happiness of his creatures — as requiring the 
homage of feeling, rather than as rejoicing in the 
sacrifice of well-employed talent — if religion were 
portrayed as a gloomy abstraction, rather than as 
the perfection of the understanding and of the 
affections applied to the conduct of every day, and 
every hour ; and, finally, if it were made to consist 
in a series of privations, without hope and without 
joy in this world, then, indeed, would it become 



200 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

a superstition, which would enthral the best powers 
of the mind, and chain them down to the utmost 
limits of Christianity, from which none of its goodly 
proportions could be seen or appreciated. 

Unless the common duties of life be undertaken 
with just views of the principles upon which they 
are to be constructed, they will be ill performed ; 
and this will operate more particularly upon the 
upper ranks in society, exactly in proportion to 
the natural influence which attaches to wealth and 
power ; since the necessity for moral exertion in- 
creases with the capacity for action, and the oppor- 
tunities of usefulness. Man is not only called 
upon to do good, but to do all the good he can ; and 
with this view, all his resources are to be placed 
in active requisition ; all his talents are to be em- 
ployed — all his feelings energized to the utmost — 
and his sphere of usefulness constantly extended 
with wisdom and prudence. 

The agency of man's will has excited ceaseless 
attention ; and it has done so particularly, because 
it has been usually represented as presiding over 
the conduct, and giving its tone and temper to the 
understanding and the heart, rather than as being 
influenced by them ; or, it has been considered as a 
sort of wayward influence, over which the indi- 
vidual had no control, but that it was acted upon 
by circumstances from without, or suggestions from 
within, according as these circumstances and sug- 
gestions were overruled by a good or a bad spirit : 
both these views are incorrect, and lead to serious 
error, in doctrine and practice. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 201 

The will has not been sufficiently considered as 
the result of sound judgment and correct reasoning ; 
and as influenced by the state of the reasoning organ 
— by health and disorder — by preceding associations, 
habits, and customs ; but it has been exhibited as 
a mysterious influence not to be defined — commu- 
nicable to-day, but to be withdrawn to-morrow ; 
it has been described as a faculty which is not 
unfettered in its choice of good, or refusal of evil, 
but which rather acts as under a necessity imposed 
by Him from whom all things proceed, or origi- 
nated from him who perverteth all things. 

The consequence of this view of the subject is, 
that man is contented to be governed by a blind 
choice, rather than to govern himself with a freedom 
of will, resulting from the decision of judgment. 
But no steady and consistent action can be obtained 
from intelligent creatures without the concurrence 
of the will. It is, therefore, of great importance 
to improve this faculty, and as far as possible to 
abstract it from those causes of vacillation which 
render it feeble and uncertain ; to revive its languid 
influence — to strengthen it when impaired — to 
fortify it for the hour of trial — to preserve it from 
the torpor of indifference — to give it stedfastness 
amidst the waves of contradicting impulse — to 
render it constant to principle — to fix it upon truth 
which cannot change — to protect it from the deadly 
influence of newly-awakened desire — and so to 
carry it forward, as to traverse the obliquities of 
human conduct, and to place it in safety in the 
haven of perfection. 



202 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Since, then, the feebleness and misguided wan- 
derings of the will are the great sources of error ; 
and since, in spite of the best-directed efforts, they 
will still remain in some degree influential through 
life, it will ever be a grand object of mental culture, 
first, to fortify the will by enlarging the under- 
standing, ennobling its designs, giving it just prin- 
ciples, fixing its dependence where alone it can 
securely rest, and maintaining it in such a state 
of active exercise, and in such a situation of pre- 
eminence, as that it shall control the instincts, the 
passions, and the propensities of animal nature. 

Secondly, to correct its wayward tendencies, by 
the substitution of principled motive for the un- 
certainty of selfish desire. 

Thirdly, to exercise a salutary influence upon 
its actions, and to ensure for its operations a wise 
and prudent direction, as well as a fixed, and 
uniform, and determinate character, by furnishing 
the heart with sentiments of virtue, benevolent 
feelings, pure and refined taste, with habits of 
universal charity ; and, 

Fourthly, since the will to choose good and 
refuse evil is really feeble, and liable to a great 
degree of apathy on the one hand, and of debase- 
ment on the other, it must be led to the only 
source of solid principle and good desire, viz. to 
the moral government of the Supreme. 

Such are the rules for the guidance of this 
faculty ; and according to their impression, and 
to the degree in which they excite attention, its 
degradation or its worth — its utility or its worth- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 203 

lessness — its easy compliance with, or its steady 
opposition to, vice — its firm choice, or its wavering 
disposition towards good. 

It must ever be remembered that it is ours to 
choose the good, and to refuse the evil — while the 
strength to enable us to do so must be derived, and 
will be given, if sought for, from on high : so shall 
we be preserved from estimating too highly our 
own powers, or from slumbering on through life 
in apathy, waiting for an influence which will never 
be vouchsafed to those who are not sincere in their 
earnest desires after that firmness of purpose which 
can alone give weight to words and actions, or 
render man an estimable character, — one in whom 
his fellow-man may confide, and whom he may 
securely love. 

There exists in individuls a great difference as to 
the firmness of this faculty, accruing not only from 
the influence of the moral causes we have just 
contemplated, but depending also upon physical 
temperament ; exhibiting itself on the one hand in 
an imperturbable firmness ; and on the other hand, 
in such a mobility of determination, that it is 
difficult to Hx it at all to any useful purpose. 

In the former instance, the excessive strength is 
to be counteracted, not by diminishing power, but 
by cultivating the judgment, and in the latter, by 
bringing into action all the resources of mind and 
body, in order to produce a fixed character. 

In the family, in society, and in the state, there 
is required, in every department of their agency, as 
well as in the government of self, a certain yielding 



204- THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of the will, a submission to authority, more or less 
limited ; for man is indolent and self-willed by 
nature, and he will not, of his own free purpose, 
bestir himself to industry, or sacrifice selfish gratifi- 
cation for the good of others. 

This effect upon the will, must be watched with 
some delicacy in early life ; for as it is convenient 
to the teacher to obtain a pliancy, and a diminished 
energy of this faculty in the taught ; so may this 
object be thoughtlessly pursued, as if the great aim 
were to subdue a power which ought to be main- 
tained in all its original strength, though placed 
under the guidance of principle. 

In the government of this faculty, the example 
of the teacher will be of great consequence ; for as 
the energy of the will may be diminished by the 
want of this example, in those to whom the young 
are accustomed to look up with reverence, so is it 
often impaired by capricious requirements, espe- 
cially by the very common mistake of good- 
humoured laxity to-day, destroying the tension of 
the will, alternated with monastic severity to-mor- 
row, ruining its tone ; and so placing it in that fitful 
and feverish condition, which necessarily leads to 
debility. 

And then, morality will be found to consist in 
simply good intentions, unaccompanied by fixed 
and permanent desire ; and devotedness to any 
object will be the mere yielding of a feeble cha- 
racter, never to be depended upon, and ever liable 
to be driven from its purpose by the zephyr of 
changing circumstances ; much more, therefore, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 205 

by the tempest of vice, or the storms of passion, 
which agitate society to its very centre, and which 
render its voyage difficult to the young and inex- 
perienced. 

The full energy of purpose should be most 
religiously preserved ; since upon it depends that 
freedom of choice, which will elevate rational man 
above the creature of instinct, and which will enable 
immortal man to prefer the path of virtue, to subdue 
the inclination towards evil, and to disavow its 
authority ; to escape from the irrational influence 
of unguarded necessity, and make him responsible 
for every part of his conduct. 

To show that this responsibility rests upon per- 
sonal choice, it will be necessary to distinguish 
between the effect of mere volition, and the agency 
of free will ; the one may be purely automatic, the 
other must result from the exercise of the reasoning 
powers ; the one is generally attended by mere 
consciousness, and follows as a necessary result from 
it, while the other is aided by conscience, and is 
accompanied by a conviction that we might have 
determined differently, though reason and reflec- 
tion combine to say that we ought not ; the one 
may be momentarily suspended by passion, the 
other maybe subjugated by it ; the one is unaltered 
by the torrent of desire, while the other is over- 
whelmed by it ; in fact, the one is chained to 
animal nature, while the other is attached to intel- 
lectual and spiritual man. 

Hence, the very grave importance of not indul- 
ging the caprices of the young ; since, by such 



206 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

indulgence, he ceases to be master of himself, and 
the consequence of this change is debasing to 
the character, and fatal to its consistency. 

It is very possible for a powerful though secondary 
motive, to exert a considerable influence over the 
will ; such, for instance, as a wish to please those 
whom we love ; but this will not be sufficient under 
circumstances of trial and temptation ; it will only 
operate while the motive is alive, and the feelings 
are awake to its impulse ; deprived of these, there 
remains behind no constant energy, no fixed choice, 
no invaluable object of desire, and no free and 
reflecting determinativeness to pursue it, notwith- 
standing all the inconveniences, trials, and losses, 
which may accrue from such pursuit. 

Hence, the freedom and the reasonableness of the 
will must be cultivated, while every approach to 
impulsive action is to be deprecated, as leading to 
irresolution and inconstancy ; the first, depending 
upon the thousand undefined and uncertain forms 
presented by objects not absolutely submitted to 
our senses ; and the second, constituting a faculty, 
without the permanent duration of action necessary 
for its useful employment. 

The will habitually accustomed to exercise energy 
of manifestation, will be much more to be relied 
upon, than where no such habit of energy has been 
formed. Hence, the importance of accustoming the 
mind to determine for itself, in all the lesser emer- 
gencies of life ; and then, when the same process 
is required on other more important occasions, it 
will have ceased to be that strange thing, which, by 



OF BODY AND MIND. 207 

its strangeness, destroys the possibility of freedom, 
and of firmness of purpose. 

Moreover, the freedom and determinativeness of 
the will are both confirmed by its most perfect sub- 
mission to moral influence ; and nothing is so 
fatal to its energy, as undefined, uncertain, and 
vague notions as to the boundaries of right and 
wrong. 

Since the will is influenced by certain motives, 
it is important that these should appeal to the 
understanding and the conscience ; that they should 
of themselves form stable grounds for action ; and 
that, by the frequency of their recurrence, they 
should be wrought into constant habits ; otherwise, 
the interior presiding mind will be passive, and 
without consistency ; the impulse of action, and the 
stimulus of occasion will alone be heard, and no 
broad and general, yet defined, outline will be im- 
pressed upon the character. 

These motives may be considered as instinc- 
tive, or automatic, intellectual, affective, and spi- 
ritual. 

Among the former may be classed all those 
which arise from the physical agency of impression, 
the immediate consequence of any excitement of 
the senses ; that tact which results from the 
harmonious blending of a well-organized system 
under the influence of its appropriate stimuli; and 
taste, which is the consequence of this action, to- 
gether with the operation of sympathy and anti- 
pathy, aversion, dislike, good or evil desire, &c. 



208 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Among the second class of motives, reason con- 
siders the relation which subsists between causes 
and their effects, traces consequences to their source, 
draws inferences from established premises, weighs 
the probable results arising from certain situations 
and circumstances, and determines upon the advan- 
tages and inconveniences, the expediency or inex- 
pediency, of certain actions; always taking for its 
standard the amount of real or supposed good 
which may be obtained. Its agency is restricted 
to prudential maxims, and it draws its inferences 
from the physical and intellectual nature of man, 
and from the constitution of society. Though 
limited, the influence of reason is always salutary, 
because it judges deliberately, and decides upon 
broad principles. It balances one set of inclinations, 
by calling in their counter-agents, and so maintains 
a proper equilibrium by its strict and even-handed 
justice. 

The motives which may be classed under the 
term affective, are those which flow from the infi- 
nitely varied modifications of self-love ; from the 
influence of the opinions of others upon our own ; 
from the sentiment of all that is just, and true, and 
beautiful, in nature, society, and morals ; and from 
the affections, properly so called. 

To these should be added religion, which con- 
trols, unites, and energizes all the rest. United 
to this latter motive, reason takes a higher, nay, 
the highest possible standing, as the counsellor of 
every action ; since it purifies and sublimes that 



OF BODY AND MIND. 209 

action, by including in its consequences, the influ- 
ence of present scenes upon our eternal and other- 
wise unnoticed interests. 

These combined motives are all-powerful ; but 
without the latter, they would be nugatory. Phy- 
sical instinct may be true to nature, but then that 
nature is perverted : reason will be unavailing, and 
the voice of the affective faculties will be mischiev- 
ous, unless confirmed, enlarged, strengthened, and 
governed by religious principle, — the first, the last, 
the only universally-operative agent,-— the same 
under every varying circumstance — to-day, to- 
morrow, and for that perpetual succession of the 
never-present day, which constitutes eternity ; — a 
conception too sublime for finite man to embrace, 
except by supposing an infinite series of periods, 
with the duration of any one of which he is unac- 
quainted. 

These motives would proceed harmoniously, were 
the heart of man always influenced by pure princi- 
ples and good desires, But the first is lamentably 
the contrary : man's physical nature has suffered that 
debasing change, whereby his powers are circum- 
scribed, and his intellectual manifestations are dete- 
riorated ; the growth of his understanding is 
stunted ; his affections are chilled ; and his affini- 
ties with evil are greater than with good — at least 
apparently ; the voice of Divine Truth is scarcely 
heard ; and thus the will becomes inenergetic, from 
the want of High Sanction, and from the impossi- 
bility of keeping present to the mind those unseen 
realities which form the bond of union between 

p 



210 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the present and a future life ; it is inconstant and 
uncertain, under the influence of contending and 
frequently-repeated emotion ; and it is violent or 
depraved, when borne down by evil inclination, wild 
passion, or unsubdued affection. 

Natural conscience would do much towards en- 
lightening the mind, and guiding it in the right 
way ; but man is not always, nor even often, atten- 
tive to its monitions; and, therefore, it is to be 
cultivated by the aid of revealed religion : and 
then, even in the midst of difficulties, though en- 
slaved by passion, it is disenthralled by principle. 

Time and other circumstances may give an 
increased facility to the operation of this principle, 
which in itself possesses an inappreciable agency 
upon the government of the life. It is indeed 
true, that the love of virtue for its own sake may 
exist in the minds of some few, without distinct 
views of its nature, of the source from whence it 
springs, or of the sanctions by which it is supported. 
But this is a rare qualification, and wherever found, 
it must be considered as a talent which admits of 
and requires cultivation ; and which, in order to 
ensure its full effect, and to employ it favourably, 
in the onward reach towards perfection, must be 
supported by an appeal to that principle which 
never changes ; and to that desire after progressive 
attainment, as well as the fixed determination to 
pursue it, which wall supersede inferior motives, 
whether drawn from the influence of the example 
of large masses of mankind, from the opinions of 
society, or from personal interest ; and which will 



OF BODY AND MIND. 211 

place the mainspring of action, where alone it can 
securely rest, viz. upon religious principle. 

Not that the agency of example, or the influence 
of opinion, are to be lightly esteemed ; since by 
these, the principle which works secretly in the 
bosom of man is energized to action, and a process 
of constant amelioration is kept alive in the heart, 
is supported by reason, and is rendered available 
for all the real emergencies of life, by an en- 
lightened judgment betweeen right and wrong. 

Hence, also, arises a moral tact, which enables 
man to discover the weak points of his own cha- 
racter 3 and by this discovery, to diminish the ob- 
stacles in the way of his improvement ; since " mille 
mala, mille etiam remedia;" the knowledge of a 
disease is more than half its cure ; and when the evil 
tendencies are known, they may be counteracted, 
and their opposite virtues may be encouraged ; so 
that the operations of good principle upon the 
heart, and of virtuous action upon the life, form 
mutual re-agents, the power and extent of which 
can only be fully known by considering the changes 
which are produced by them, and the consequent 
degree in which the love of virtue is fostered and 
enlarged. 

Were it lawful to hazard an opinion as to the 
design of the Almighty Creator, in stamping this 
character upon his most perfect creature, we might 
suppose that the moral developement of man, or 
the perfection of his free choice, was the object of 
the Supreme in placing him in his present relative 
situation : and, that if he were permitted to lose his 

p 2 



212 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

original perfectness, it was, that he might be deeply 
impressed with the necessity for uniform progres- 
sion, and for making the most of the trials of this 
probationary scene, which would all assist to render 
him better fitted to bear the image of the infinite 
purity in which he was created ; and to copy the 
example of that infinite wisdom, and mercy, and 
love, which have been set before him for his 
humble imitation, and for strenuous exertions after 
greater likeness to this pattern of his conduct, and 
anchor of his hopes. 

Increasing obedience to the voice of principle ; 
increasing distance from the clamours of passion 
and prejudice ; and increasing freedom from the 
clouds of error and fallacious judgment ; in short, 
daity improvement, should form the great object of 
the good man's desire. Yet the conviction of this 
progress will not encourage self-love or pride ; 
since the effect of every advance is to throw more 
light upon the widening prospect of attainment, 
and to increase the sense of responsibility arising 
from the consciousness of augmented capacity for 
good. Thus a sentiment of humility is occasioned 
by the small progress that has been made, com- 
pared with the boundless prospect in advance, and 
the distance at which the forwardest remains, from 
anything like conformity to the sublime model he 
has chosen for imitation. 

There are, however, minds, which, from some 
physical condition of the mental organ, are not 
susceptible of very high culture ; and the great 
design of successful developement will be best ac- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 213 

complished by apportioning the means adopted to 
the peculiarities of the individual. 

In early life, a rigid discipline is necessary to 
accustom the } r oung to repress their passions ; and 
yet, that they may feel the importance of decision 
of character, they must, to a certain extent, be 
rendered independent ; they must be aware of the 
power to choose, and yet of their obligation to obey : 
nor is this difficult ; since just laws and equal 
liberty may perfectly consist together, whenever 
their respective limits have been accurately de- 
fined. 

In the present case, all which augments the 
immediate good and future welfare of the young, 
may be allowed, nay more, may be encouraged, by 
the influence of the principle whose operation we 
have traced ; while that alone is placed as a limit 
to perfect freedom of action, which would keep from 
destroying the present happiness, or the eventual 
prosperity of its subjects ; well knowing, that only 
that deserves to be estimated as contributing to the 
pleasure of the hour, which will also enlarge the 
spiritual powers, and render them better fitted for 
the progressive improvement, which is to advance 
them towards that state of final perfection which is 
only attainable in the world to come. 

Now, to this end, nothing is indifferent— nothing 
useless : the most apparently trivial causes have 
become, and will continue to be, occasions for 
mental developement ; and may be rendered in- 
strumental in promoting the design of increasing 
growth, and augmenting beauty of manifestation ; 



214 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

even as the simplest natural changes, the varieties 
of atmospherical pressure and temperature, do 
tend to advance the natural progress towards ma- 
turity and perfection, which is impressed upon 
every part of nature's widely-extended domain. 

No sooner have events, or reasoning, or sensa- 
tion, occurred a few times in the same order and 
under analogous circumstances, than they become 
intimately associated, even long before the mind is 
aware of such bias ; and, afterwards, the recurrence 
of the one will most naturally reproduce the other. 
Now this, which at first sight may appear a very 
simple process, is, in fact, a habit. Hence, the diffi- 
culty of distinguishing that which arises from 
idiosyncrasy or peculiarity of physical temperament, 
from that which is the result of education. 

And yet it is important to form this distinction, 
since the influence of the former will be much 
greater, and will be less easily counteracted than 
that of the latter, — inasmuch as that which is 
natural has a greater affinity with our soil, and 
possesses a larger power of cohesive attraction than 
that which is by nature extrinsic, and merely 
implanted by a scientific operation. Yet since 
these associations will form the basis of character, 
and give their colour to action ; and since they will 
exert a beneficial or a baneful agency, it is of the 
first consequence that they should be rendered 
available to a good purpose ; that they should be 
made to assist, instead of disturbing and defeating 
that design of progressive amelioration, which forms 
the most important object of mental developement. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 215 

The success which will attend this process, will 
depend greatly upon the nicety with which the 
degree of excitement is proportioned to the de- 
velopement of cerebral power ; too much will de- 
stroy the tone of the organ by occasioning irritation ; 
too little will produce languor and feebleness from 
inaction. In order to diminish the influence of 
exciting causes, it is necessary that they should be 
placed under the general law, by which the vivid- 
ness of impression is precisely in an inverse pro- 
portion to the frequency and regularity of its 
notices; and that, too, notwithstanding they should 
be accompanied by so much of variety and change, 
as that the sentient principle should not be reduced 
to automatic action, or to^ that state of quietism 
which is not suited to a busy bustling world, and 
which detracts, moreover, from the social value of 
the character. 

This result can only be obtained by regularity ; 
since the same impressions are expected to return, 
and actually do recur, with the same trains of as- 
sociation ; that which is painful at first will be 
diminished in the intensity of its suffering, — while, 
at the same time, the anticipation of that which is 
pleasing will not have been disappointed ; and 
desire will not have been stimulated in vain. 

But the period of mental excitation is not indif- 
ferent, any more than the degree in which it is 
permitted ; for in the same way as if the stimulus 
should have been too great ; so^ if it shall have 
been applied at an hour of the day approaching 
to the usual allotment of sleep, wakefulness will 



216 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be the consequence, together with a degree of 
irritability of the brain, very unfavourable to its 
continued energy, and usually denoted by a high 
degree of mobility and disposition to action, with 
greatly-diminished power of supporting exertion. 

This excitation may not always be the result of 
design ; it may be called up by accident, or by 
manner, or by reciprocity of action ; and, therefore, 
it is not unimportant to attend to those involuntary 
mental impressions, which may reproduce asso- 
ciated emotions of a character injurious to a well- 
regulated mind, and which, when so produced, 
may be perpetuated by habit, or be re-excited by 
the thousand occurrences of daily life. 

Too great emotion is followed by exhaustion, 
and consequent reaction — both of which are un- 
favourable to the expansion, growth, and power of 
intellect. Thus the common consequence of highly- 
pleasing sensation is a fit of depression ; too 
powerful an excitement has been produced, equi- 
librium has been destroyed, and the balance of 
nervous function oscillates violently, until serenity 
can be gently and quietly restored ; and this is 
to be accomplished, not by creating counter- 
stimulus in another department of mental operation, 
but by wisely diminishing the weight which has 
been unguardedly placed in one of the scales of 
human action and passion. 

For this reason, it is desirable to fix the attention 
on things rather than on persons — on abstractions 
rather than on individuals ; because, in the latter 
case, passion is too easily excited, and sympathy 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



217 



or antipathy are awakened, both of which are 
commonly too powerful stimuli for the young 
mind. 

On a similar principle, contentedness of disposi- 
tion, and benevolence of feeling, are to be cultivated 
as a means of expanding the heart, and of strength- 
ening the intellectual capacity, by which it will 
gradually be enabled to bear a greater degree of 
excitement with impunity, and too high a measure 
of susceptibility will be removed. 

In this process of mental developement, the early 
indications of imagination will require attention — 
the more so, as its operations are frequently unseen 
and unobserved. In tracing early intellectual 
progress, we shall notice that internal improve- 
ment, in consequence of which the calibre of mind 
is enlarged, and the increase of knowledge is facili- 
tated. Thus, increasing experience accumulates 
a treasure of facts and opinions, which, in their 
turn, form the materials for the exercise of the same 
faculties ; the spirit of inquiry is fortified by the 
action of multiplying observations ; the memory 
becomes more faithful in proportion as connexion 
is established between ideas ; judgment is defined 
accordingly as it has compared a greater number 
of objects and results : but the power of imagina- 
tion increases or diminishes with a most extraor- 
dinary rapidity, and precisely because it is permitted 
to luxuriate without fixed rules (though, according 
to some arrangement of its own) among the in- 
ternal and fantastic representations of external 
objects. 



218 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Hence the importance of attending to a faculty 
whose mistakes and misapprehensions are not to 
be combated by reason, since its voice will not be 
heard — and there will be no actual attention to the 
positive images of truth. 

Before we abandon this subject, there remains 
to be noticed one other application of this principle 
of progressive improvement — viz. to the advance 
of the Christian in acquiring greater resemblance 
to his great Exemplar : — to his progress in holiness. 
However unattainable may be absolute perfection, 
still it is to be striven after ; nor should the Chris- 
tian rest satisfiedj with anything short of perfect 
purity, and perfect conformity to the will of God ; 
for here he has no continuing citv, but he seeks 
one to come ; here he has no abiding resting-place, 
but is constantly reaching after that rest which 
remaineth for the people of God ; here he is en- 
compassed by infirmity and imperfection ; and 
while he ardently desires to be free from the 
incumbrance of this mortal body, he must at least 
equally desire to be gradually preparing for a re- 
sidence in that holy, happy place, where sin and 
sorrow cannot enter. " Be ye holy, even as I am 
holy. Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your 
Father which is in heaven is perfect. I am the 
Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou 
perfect." 

Such is the language of inspiration ! Perfection 
is the character of the Christian's aspiration, even 
the perfection of the Almighty ! He cannot, there- 
fore, aim after too high a standard of moral ex- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 219 

cellence, and he will be certain of gaining ground 
by the attempt. True, indeed, that he will not 
fully and finally accomplish his object here — (the 
very idea of constant progression is opposed to such 
a result)— but he will seek after conformity to the 
will of God, till he shall be called, in his own time, 
to bid the world adieu, and leaving behind him 
the incumbrances of dull mortality, to see Him as 
He is, and to be transported into His image. 

The accomplishment of this object is to be pro- 
gressive. The Christian must grow in grace, and 
in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Everything around him indicates ad- 
vance towards maturity ; and this advance is ac- 
companied by increasing beauty of manifestation. 
So also will his principles be deepened in himself, 
and more fully developed in action ; the sen- 
timent of love to God and his people will be ex- 
panded into the desire of serving, and the fear of 
offending Him ; and the motives will be purified, 
ennobled, and sanctified. 

This advance will be continuous ; there is this 
only difference, that whereas the productions of 
nature decay and wither, and enter into new forms 
and combinations, the Christian's maturity does 
not arrive on this side the grave ; the flower which 
charms by its fragrance, and is succeeded by the 
promise of fruit, will only be fully ripened in the 
atmosphere of heaven, and in the meridian splen- 
dor of the Sun of Righteousness. 

It is true that the Christian, in common with 
ail other men, possesses a compounded nature— 



220 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

body and soul; and that the former has ceased to 
be, as it was originally created to be, a willing 
servant of the latter, because of the influence of 
sin. Yet man is left without excuse, for he retains 
the faculty of the will, and to this faculty the body 
is subservient ; therefore he is eminently respon- 
sible for all his offences. For, although when he 
would do good, evil is ever present with him, 
this is, because he exerts so feeble a will, and pre- 
fers listening to the voice of his passions and in- 
clinations, rather than by a painful effort to choose 
the good and refuse the evil. 

If it be asked, why this effort is painful, if the 
power to make it formed a part of the original 
constitution of man, the answer is obvious ; the 
entrance of sin has perverted the will, and alienated 
it from good ; so that to man as he is, every effort 
after virtue is painful, and for two reasons : first, 
the essential character of exertion is opposed to his 
slo th fulness ; and secondly, he hast lost all good 
disposition. 

Yet it is manifest, that this does not diminish his 
responsibility ; but that, on the contrary, it fear- 
fully adds to the amount of his willingly-abused 
mercies and privileges, since the Almighty has 
given him the faculty which he refuses to employ. 
It follows, then, that when the will has been re- 
newed by Divine grace, the Christian is indeed 
culpable if he do not hold in subjection the pro- 
pensities of his animal nature; if we do not con- 
stantly struggle against its infirmities, and if he 
do not zealous!}^ cultivate all his powers, and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 221 

talents, and influence, and opportunities, to the 
glory of his Maker and Redeemer. 

In this onward progress, however, the Christian 
soon discovers his ignorance and feebleness, his 
helplessness and dependence on Him, who is will- 
ing to save and to protect, and who has promised 
to the sincere His Spirit to instruct, His strength 
to support, and His guidance to lead into all truth. 

But these blessings must be sought for, or they 
will not be obtained ; and he must hourly watch 
and pray, lest he enter into temptation, — that is, 
lest he listen to the suggestions and promptings 
of his own perverted bosom ; he must maintain 
a constant warfare of principle against a deceitful 
heart; he must hold fast that which he possesses ; 
and he must be found faithful unto death — or he 
can have no ground for expecting a crown of life. 
Not that this continued struggle gives him any 
claim to that crown of life ; but if the love of God 
be shed abroad in his heart, he cannot be at 
peace, except by growing conformity to the image 
of Christ, his great pattern and exemplar. 

One of the laws impressed upon locomotive life 
is, that action is necessary to enjoyment ; and this 
is truly exemplified in the Christian ; his essential 
character is that of progress. But then it must be 
progress in holiness — not mischievous action, or 
even that bustling activity of business-like or pro- 
fessional charity, which is too often placed as a 
substitute for the growth of moral principle. 

There is great danger from this latter evil, in the 



222 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

present day of charitable exertion ; and it becomes 
the sincere to ask how far the motives for this ex- 
ertion are single and uncomplicated ; how far they 
may be alloyed by a desire after the praise of men, 
or of that influence which necessarily attaches to 
prominent diligence in the great duty ; and to in- 
quire how far this exertion is simply the work of 
faith, and labour of love — and how far it is com- 
pounded of inferior motives. 

Should the result of this inquiry be, that the 
grounds of activity are not so simple as had been 
hoped — let not the inquirer on that account lay 
aside this exertion, but struggle more constantly 
and earnestly after greater purity of heart. More- 
over, let him reflect, that if he be not advancing, 
a retrograde movement has already commenced. 
There is no middle point of indifference, in which 
the centripetal force of the love of God, and the 
centrifugal agency of the love of sin, can be so 
nicely balanced, as that the character may be 
preserved stationary ; if the former principle of 
love to God be not continually increasing, the 
latter of aversion from Him will usurp the influence 
and authority. 

Against this influence, the authority of misrule, 
the christian soldier is called upon to struggle 
continually, and to maintain not only a defensive 
but an aggressive warfare ; not contented with 
the preservation of his own standing, but gradually 
gaining ground over the power of his enemies. 
To this end are appointed trials and difficulties, in 



OF BODY AND MIND. 223 

order tliattbe character mav be aroused to exertion, 
and energized to action, by being continually re- 
minded of the necessity for such efforts. 

Here, again, we trace another of nature's univer- 
sal laws. So far as we are acquainted with them, 
all the phenomena of the physical world arise from 
a sustained counter -agency : the safety of the houses 
we inhabit ; our own erect posture and progression ; 
the function of respiration, and even the circula- 
tion of the blood ; the flight of the summer bird — 
ay, and the expansion of the minutest flower, de- 
pend upon atmospherical pressure. Let but this be 
taken away for a moment, and our houses crumble 
into heaps of ruin ; man's goodly form is prostrate ; 
progression is impossible ; the sigh of respiration 
dies upon the involuntarily-expanded lips ; the 
blood congests in the sluggish veins ; the fluttering 
wing drops powerless ; and nature's humblest flower 
withers and dies. 

The same may be remarked of various other 
natural processes : it is an universal principle : 
action and re-action form the secret of life and 
health ; and neither the former nor the latter can 
be maintained without their respective agencies : 
without these all nature languishes ; her works are 
interrupted ; and the harmony, and the beauty, 
and the value of her productions are destroyed. 

So with the Christian : the trials of life, and the 
difficulties of his way, are the sustaining counter- 
agents for the developement and perfectionment of 
his graces ; and without these his regular progress 



224 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

is arrested, he becomes lukewarm, the fruits of his 
principles are immature, and he no longer forms 
that beacon which should give light to the ignorant 
and the wanderer from the right path, as well as 
afford comfort to himself. 

There is another principle which the All-merciful 
has implanted in the bosom of man, by which he is 
to realize this essential law of progressive perfec- 
tion, viz. the faculty of imitation — a talent of the 
first importance to him, and to society at large. If 
it be recollected, that to this faculty we owe the 
continuation of spoken language, its importance 
will be fully seen ; but it may be further shown 
by its effect upon society, and we may trace almost 
all the good and bad we meet with to the influence 
of this principle : man is upheld in the right 
way by the countenance of his fellow-man ; and 
for all the follies, and frivolities, and vices of the 
age, he finds for himself excuses in the numbers 
which have gone before him in the same way ; so 
true is it, that the influence of example is incal- 
culable. 

But the Christian has placed before him a most 
perfect example ; and it is held up for his imita- 
tion, supported by all the most important sanctions 
and all the highest hopes which can be given to 
sinful creatures, to whom the means of restoration 
to holiness have been vouchsafed ; even the perfect 
example of Jesus Christ, who was a man of suffer- 
ing, and acquainted with grief, — who encountered 
the greatest trials and difficulties from a scoffing 






OF BODY AND MIND, 



225 



world, — who took upon him our nature, and was 
in all points tempted like as we are, yet without 
sin, — who himself bare our infirmities, and became 
acquainted with all the trials arising from a world 
which lieth in wickedness. Yet from the beginning 
of his ministry to its close there was essential pro- 
gress; and he became a perfect example to his 
people, that they might follow his footsteps, and be 
made like him. 

Now, the essential character of this progress, 
which was consummated in the last sad scene of 
his suffering life, was that of obedience to the will of 
Ms heavenly Father ; and this, too, will form the 
scale of the Christian's growth in holiness, and 
conformity to the will of his Saviour, as well as of 
the increasing beauty and augmented value of his 
fruitfulness : — " His delight is in the law of the 
Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and 
night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the 
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his 
season ; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatso- 
ever he doeth shall prosper." 

In fact, the Christian is perfect in proportion as he 
accomplishes the design for which he was created, 
viz. that of living to the glory of God. This ob- 
ject is to be diligently pursued, but it can only be 
fully realized where sin and sorrow never enter, 
and where all will be harmony, and light, and 
love, and joy. Yet the glory of God will be 
promoted by the nearest possible approach to 
his original state of resemblance to the image of 
God. 



226 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

To secure this approach, the character and con- 
duct must be marked by consistency, beauty, and 
utility, since these are the prominent characteristics 
of the works of the Almighty. One of the greatest 
injuries to real religion arises from the want of 
consistency in its professors. If the Christian 
show himself as worldly-minded, selfish, prejudiced, 
without tenderness and compassion for the errors 
and infirmities of others, — if he be censorious, con- 
ceited, proud, — if he be apt to take offence, and not 
very careful to avoid giving offence, — if he be soon 
angry, and prone to place an evil construction upon 
equivocal words and actions, — if he be uncharitable 
and revengeful, — or, finally, if he be so yielding as 
to give up principle in conformity to the world, 
then will that world take knowledge of him as not 
in earnest, or ashamed of his profession, or not a 
wit improved b}^ its supposed influence ; for the 
contrast will be drawn unfavourably to religion be- 
tween himself with his unamiable manifestations, 
and some other very amiable persons, who, without 
this prof ession } manifest far more of the real spirit of 
divine truth. 

But if he be the converse of the character just 
portrayed, all will be convinced of his consistent 
attachment to principles which exhibit the second 
characteristic of the christian conduct, viz. its 
exceeding loveliness ; and the combination of these 
two (consistency and beauty) will form the com- 
pleteness of the character, by the addition of the 
attribute of usefulness ; for it is impossible that he 
can thus act up to his principles, and earnestly strive 



OF BODY AND MIND. 227 

after greater progress, without the devotion of all 
his powers, and talents, and opportunities, to the 
service of his Saviour. 

The result will be, that as a gentleman, a man 
of intellect, a literary character, a social being, 
friend, and relative, and, finally, as a man of piety, 
he excels, in every department of life ; ceteris pari- 
bus, his value will be appreciated, and the prepon- 
derance will be in his favour ; nay, by his delicate 
tact, by his intellectual aptitude, by his literary 
taste, by his refined feeling, and by the purity of 
his thoughts, expressions, and actions, he will 
command and ensure esteem, admiration, and love, 
— he will present an attractive picture of the fruits 
of Christianity. 

And when the last closing scene of existence 
arrives, he will meet the final struggle in peace, 
without terror, in humble reliance upon him who 
has conquered death, deprived it of its sting, and 
given a sure earnest of victory to those who re- 
main " faithful unto death." His fast-shortening 
hours will be peaceful, for he knows in whom he 
has believed, and whom he has earnestly, though 
feebly and imperfectly, striven to imitate, and to 
whose finished righteousness and atoning sacrifice 
he ascribes all the glory of his salvation. 

It should be just remarked here, that this pre- 
supposes the integrity and undisturbed state of the 
brain and nervous system : for if these be suffering 
from the direct or indirect influence of disordered 
function, all the manifestations of mind will be dis- 
ordered also. 

Q2 



228 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

In this onward reach towards perfection there 
are obstacles to the Christian's progress. Perhaps 
his physical temperament may present difficulties 
to be overcome ; for the actions, and thoughts, and 
feelings of men, are influenced by the medium 
through which they are manifested; and that me- 
dium has been perverted from its first pure function 
by the introduction of sin, and by that debasing 
change which has rendered man prone to evil. 

Still it must be recollected, that in circumstances 
of ordinary health the physical organ has been sub- 
jected to the presiding mind, and that its function of 
volition is pre-eminent. Hence, a powerful effort 
of the will, enlightened by revelation, and sup- 
ported by the promised strength and comfort of the 
Holy Spirit, will enable man so to triumph over 
physical infirmity, as that this shall form no excuse 
for defective or erroneous action ; he will be wholly 
responsible for each deficiency or error ; and he 
must be stimulated to exertion — to the exhibition 
of powerful energy of purpose, in order to supersede 
the morbid influence. Physical structure, when 
healthy, is placed under the control of governing 
mind; and the latter is entirely answerable for the 
government of the former. 

Again, the Christian is living in society, and is 
liable to fall in with its customs, to catch its 
manners and habits, and to imbibe its principles. 
But if it be true, that the customs, manners, habits, 
and principles of the many are opposed to the 
sincere practice of Christianity, there will be some 



OF BODY AND MIND. 229 

fear lest he may be induced to comply with that 
which his own better judgment disapproves and 
disavows. 

It is painful to differ from others, because this 
very difference involves a tacit censure upon their 
opinions or conduct : yet it cannot be wholly 
avoided ; the good man's life must involve a cen- 
sure upon those who are living without God in the 
world. But he must take care not to give offence 
needlessly, or his good will be misrepresented. He 
must bear a decided testimony for the inflexible up- 
rightness of Christianity, and for his sincere belief 
in its precepts ; but he must do so with all that 
principled tenderness and compassion, and that 
courtesy of manner, which will disarm prejudice, 
and which will not reasonably excite a recoil against 
that which is of infinite value. There is no fear 
but he will vindicate himself completely from any 
charge of latitudinarian belief, if he will only care- 
fully study the manner of contending earnestly for 
the faith. In fact, the christian gentleman must be 
clearly traced ; and then will he win their way to 
the heart for the truths of religion through so 
pleasing a channel ; — there will be no place for the 
scoffer ; and infidelity will be deprived of one of 
her strongholds, while it will be practically shown 
that the spirit of Christ's religion is not opposed to 
the growth of intellect, the expansion of the affec- 
tions, or the cultivation of the taste. 

There is, however, a still more formidable ob- 
stacle in the route towards perfection : and this 
consists in fashionable religion. The intrepid war- 



230 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

riors, who had braved the rigors of Alpine per- 
petual snows, and who had conquered all the 
difficulties of their route, lost their energies when 
exertion was no longer required, — when they could 
repose in luxurious indolence, and there were no 
difficulties to be vanquished. So the christian 
warrior is safe only in proportion as the warfare is 
continuous, and as he is aroused to energy and 
action by the present prospect of difficulties to 
surmount. 

Hence, if he glide along the smooth and plastic 
current of fashionable Christianity, there is a 
danger of his becoming amalgamated with it, — of 
his taking the same mould,— and of his being ac- 
tuated by a spirit which has been declared irrecon- 
cileable with the Spirit of Truth, His great object 
should be to lead those who go with him a certain 
distance, to dive deeper into the requirements of 
" all truth" and to show them that a spirit of 
meekness, humility, self-denial, purity of motive, 
and preference of the will of God to their own will, 
are indispensable ingredients in the christian cha- 
racter, without which it cannot be complete. Let 
not his good be evil spoken of; but let him not so 
entirely fall in with the follies, and fashions, and 
temper, and spirit of the world in general, as that 
it shall be often difficult, if not impossible, to detect 
a difference between the Christian and the man 
of the world, except in profession ; for, alas ! 
if a system of belief be the only difference, the 
lot of the sincere man of the world is to be pre- 
ferred. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 231 

Another difficulty in the way of the Christian's 
growth, is the want of adaptation in the mode of 
instruction which he obtains to his own peculiar 
calibre of mind, and style of temperament. To a 
refined mind there is something fearfully revolting 
in the occasional coarseness and vulgarity with 
which real truth is associated ; and it must be 
some time before the former can be tolerated for 
the sake of the simple-hearted goodness which it 
invests and obscures. 

There are also lesser distinctions which it is 
important to notice, apart from this broad line of de- 
marcation. There are minds of all dimensionsm the 
world, and brains of every varied quality. Therefore, 
the same truths must be received through very diffe- 
rent media; and, consequently, in order to produce a 
similar effect, there must be an adaptation of the 
modes of impression to the prevailing modes of mental 
manifestation. The man of deep thought and of no 
thought at all, the mathematician, the natural 
philosopher, the metaphysician, the divine, the 
physician, and the lawyer, — the man of polite edu- 
cation and literary acquirements, the mere gay 
trifler, the precisely moral and the perfectly care- 
less, the sceptic, and the enthusiast, — all these, with 
many other modifications of spiritual being, require 
a different mode of stating the same truths, in order 
to disarm them of the peculiar prejudices attaching 
to their position in society. If, therefore, these dif- 
ferences be not appreciated, and a similar plan be 
pursued with all, an obstacle will be thrown in the 
way of many, Yet even this the Christian is bound 



232 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

to surmount, and with the Bible in his hand, and 
with the many spiritual privileges he enjoys in our 
own happy country, he will be inexcusable if he 
remain in ignorance or error. 

The want of looking to the doctrines of Chris- 
tianity as suited to the intellectual man and the 
man of science, and holding them up as a system of 
belief only, has often proved an obstacle in the way 
towards perfection. If religion be considered as a 
mere question of faith, dissociated from knowledge, 
the spirit of inquiry is extinguished, and the be- 
liever, satisfied with certain grand points of doctrine, 
slumbers on in secure but most dangerous self- 
complacency. 

But this arises from a partial view of Divine 
Truth, and should be counteracted, for religion is 
addressed to the understanding as well as to the 
heart ; and the assent of the former will precede 
the devotion of the latter ; belief will be founded 
on knowledge, both being the gift of God, and 
derived from the enlightening influence of his 
Spirit ; and out of this will arise an increasing 
choice and preference of good ; an augmenting 
aversion from evil ; love to God, and hatred for all 
that is offensive in his sight; devotion to his ser- 
vice ; and benevolence to man. 

The absence of a tender and enlightened con- 
science will prove a serious difficulty in the way of 
christian growth ; this, therefore, should be asked 
of God, but it is also to be sought after. There 
are those, whose knowledge of the boundaries of 
evil appears to be deficient ; there are those who 



OF BOLfY AND MIND. 233 

want the susceptibility which should warn them of 
its approach ; and there are also those who are 
wanting in the necessary tact that would enable 
them, when danger was discovered, to escape from 
its contact* 

In order, therefore, in such cases, to ensure pro- 
gression, these characters should seek to define 
moral manifestations, to cultivate the impressibility 
of their moral senses, and to improve by exercise 
their aptitude, which sincere desire, earnest prayer, 
and frequent danger, will alone enable them to ac- 
complish. 

In this pursuit nothing is to be accomplished 
without waiting upon God for a blessing, and nothing 
is to be effected with it, if there be not at the 
same time earnest and persevering efforts to walk 
in the way in which we pray to be led ; to follow 
whither we entreat guidance, to be energetic where 
we ask for strength, to be holy where we implore 
righteousness. 

Finally, this progress can only be effected by 
seeking out and studying the weak and susceptible 
points of the character. Every man is imperfect ; 
consequently, every man possesses these weak and 
assailable points ; and christian watchfulness wiU 
be of little avail, unless it be directed precisely to 
those points where it is most required. Ignorance 
of self is the most fruitful source of deviation from 
the holy law of God ; and as the knowledge of a 
disease is more than half its cure, so the knowledge 
of our liability to moral evil is more than half the 
means of avoiding it. And having detected these 



234 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

weak points, we are to strive against their influence, 
that the liability to error may be diminished, and 
the love and the power of good may be nourished 
up in us, — that we may so run as to obtain eter- 
nal life. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 235 



CHAPTER VI. 

ON THE THEORY OF LIFE : THE UNPHILOSOPHI- 

CAL NATURE OF THE INFIDEL VIEWS CONNECTED 
WITH THIS HIDDEN SUBJECT. 

We now come to the question, What is life? — a 
question often asked, and never satisfactorily an- 
swered ; — a question about which much has been 
written, and slender information given;— a ques- 
tion concerning which there is reason to fear that 
much must still remain obscure, unrevealed, unex- 
plored, and unknown, in the present state of our 
faculties, and of our knowledge. 

Nevertheless, the questions, What is life ? and 
What the influence of life upon mental pheno- 
mena? are so intimately interwoven with our pre- 
sent inquiry, that we dare not pass them over 
without consideration. 

The origin of living function is enveloped in in- 
extricable mystery; and although various theories 
of life have been given, it is better to allow that 
they are all unsatisfactory, that at best they give 
only the phenomena of life, and do not bring us ae- 



236 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

quaintecl with the nature of the original principle, 
of which we can really only say that it is a prin- 
ciple superadded to matter with which it becomes 
intimately blended, — that like many other first 
principles, it has escaped our notice, — and that 
all we really know is from considering its effects. 

But since we know that life exists when none of 
its effects are visible, and when all its functions 
seem to be suspended, or at least to be carried on 
without any visible agency, it is manifest that we 
can form very little acquaintance with its nature, 
from considering these phenomena ; and that 
therefore it is absurd to say, that " life is constituted 
by the sum total of functions which any individual 
can perform ," when it is perfectly certain that life 
exists where there is no apparent function, and 
where these functions, having once existed, have 
become suspended. 

We must enter into this circumstance a little 
more in detail : and first, we must prove the exist- 
ence of life where there is no apparent function or 
phenomenon to distinguish it from positive death. 
This is remarkable in every instance of suspended 
animation, in which, as for example in the pheno- 
mena of drowning, all the functions appear to be 
extinct, and which, if left to themselves, would 
speedily terminate in irrecoverable death. So 
completely does this take place, that, but for our 
experience to the contrary, we should say, Life is 
gone : and there is no criterion to ascertain those 
cases which are recoverable from those which are 
irrecoverable. Yet in this state of apparent death, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 237 

in the absence of Junction, life still remains, and may 
be recalled: therefore life cannot be constituted 
by the sum total of functions, when it is found to 
exist independently of all cognizable function. 

It may, perhaps, be said, that life is restored by 
awakening the function of respiration artificially ; 
and so it is, as a means of again setting the machine 
in motion. But it is not contended that respiration 
is life ; it is one of the phenomena of life ; and 
whether it were this, or life itself, still it would 
be manifest, that vitality might exist without it, 
and therefore that life must be a principle super- 
added to, and co-incident with, organisation, though 
not the result of organisation. 

It may, perhaps, be said here, that respiration 
is the mainspring of vital action, by touching which, 
the sum total of functions were brought into play, 
and thus constituted life. But if so, what is it 
which first touches respiration — which brings it 
into play — which supports it during a thousand 
vicissitudes, and which, in spite of ourselves, sus- 
tains it against every ordinary obstacle, and against 
the influence of volition ? It is life, a principle 
superadded to, and independent of, the will ; con- 
trolling function, but not constituted by it. 

There are other cases of suspended animation, 
as fainting of a prolonged character — some forms 
of hysteria, trances, &c, so like death as to have 
been mistaken for it — in consequence of which 
mistake, parties have been prematurely buried ; 
all these things proving that life can exist in- 
dependent of function. 



238 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

It is also certain that function may be carried on 
after life is apparently extinct. It is allowed that 
imperceptible respiration may be continued — a re- 
spiration which cannot be detected ; it is also known 
that parturition may and has taken place after 
apparent death ; and it is supposed that conscious- 
ness remains, in a considerable degree, after what 
is called death, together with some other less pro- 
minent actions of the body. 

But if it be granted that function can be carried 
on after life has been suspended, or is extinct, we 
have another proof, that life cannot consist in the 
sum total of functions ; there are merely certain 
phenomena, or expressions of life — of life existing 
independently of these organs and functions — of a 
principle, not the result of function, but being the 
primum mobile of these functions, and superadded to 
them. 

Connected with this hypothesis, is the observa- 
tion of Sir Charles Morgan, that " the great chain 
of created beings does not exist by an absolute, 
but by a proportionate harmony ; the existence and 
happiness of some individuals being thus rendered 
incompatible with that of others. The cruelty of 
this arrangement, so difficult to explain under any 
dispensation, is a consequence, like the other ac- 
cidents of organisation, of the chemical properties 
of certain substances, and of their relations to the 
living forces, of which given animated arrange- 
ments are susceptible." Then is added in a foot- 
note, " It is, however, manifest, that no more is 
lost than is given, and that what is evil to the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 239 

sufferer is positive good to the inflicter. Still every 
sentient being, as in itself a whole, may justly 
stigmatize as evil all arrangements hostile to its 
own well-being." 

Now it is fully conceded, that the mystery of 
animated being, and the laws of the Supreme 
Governor, are difficult to explain, because we know 
not the terms and conditions which regulate the 
Divine will; not more difficult of explication, how- 
ever, than the origin of many of the chemical 
phenomena of which Sir Charles makes so con- 
siderable a use ; not more difficult than the thou- 
sand processes around us, inexplicable to our 
present faculties ; since it is one of the humbling 
laws of human nature, that on every side there is 
fixed a boundary to our knowledge which is im- 
passable. 

The " cruelty" of this arrangement is set forth 
in broad and distinct colours. Now this is either 
unphilosophical or it is unchristian. It is unphi- 
losophical, since if life has accidentally resulted from 
the sum total of functions, there can be no law 
against the accidental dissolution of those functions ; 
and where there has been no moral principle in- 
volved in the production of life, there can be none 
in its destruction. It is also unphilosophical, be- 
cause it supposes an agent ; an agent is unnecessary, 
if life be the result of a bringing together acciden- 
dentally certain organs and functions ; and if un- 
necessary in the one case, it is absurd to suppose 
it in the other. 

But the supposition is unchristian, for if the 



240 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

arrangement be cruel, the arranger must be cruel, 
since no sum total of functions can deserve this 
epithet; and if so, the Almighty Governor of the 
universe must be cruel. It is needless to waste 
time in proving this to be an unchristian sentiment ; 
we shall therefore leave Sir Charles to the cheer- 
less enjoyment of such a hopeless and heartless 
creed, and be contented to prove that the sentiment 
is unphilosophical and irrational. 

It is allowed, that the origin of evil is enveloped 
in mystery ; but it is an unquestioned fact, that 
goodness and benevolence everywhere mark the 
works and the wisdom of the Creator, and chiefly 
in those phenomena with which we are best ac- 
quainted. Since such is the fact, with regard to 
those processes which we do know ; and since we 
are confessedly ignorant of very many of the con- 
current phenomena around us — is it not unphilo- 
sophical to conclude, that cruelty marks an arrange- 
ment which we cannot understand ; cruelty being 
the opposite to that beneficence, which we find 
characterising those processes which we do better 
understand. 

Besides, we are quite sure, that in many in- 
stances, even in the loss of life, there is a prevailing- 
beneficence ; and therefore we ought to infer the 
existence of the same in instances which appear 
to us not similarly characterized. We say appear, 
because we cannot be certain, with our present 
faculties, that things are as they really appear to 
be. 

We have shown that there can be no cruelty in 



OF BODY AND MIND. 241 

the dissolution of life, if life be constituted by an 
accidental arrangement of function, neither can 
there be, if life be given by a creative power. For 
if life be a principle superadded to organisation, 
there is no reason for its being given or withheld, 
continued or withdrawn, but the will of the Giver. 
After all, this Giver has been supposed by the alleged 
cruelty of the arrangement ; and it is manifestly un- 
philosophical to say, that a Power which can give a 
certain boon to an organisation which, by the terms 
of the proposition, has no choice, nor will, nor 
agency in the matter, may not also dictate the laws 
which shall regulate the gift, and to which it must 
be subject. There can be no injustice in the with- 
drawment of this gift, even if it had not been 
penally forfeited, as we shall see in a subsequent 
part of this inquiry. Nor is there any proof that 
the enjoyment of the ephemeris is not fully equal 
to that of the most long-lived creatures. As far 
as we can learn, happiness and misery are pretty 
evenly distributed throughout creation ; and the 
latter has resulted, not from the will of the Creator, 
who pronounced all his works to be very good, 
but from that disturbing agency, which has per- 
verted and defaced God's works, and introduced 
disease and misery into the world ; were it not, 
therefore, for this disturbing agency, good would 
immensely preponderate. 

It is clear, then, that no sentient being has a 
right to complain of his lot ; and that it is irra- 
tional to talk of the accidental combinations of 
matter into certain harmonious arrangements of 

R 



242 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

organs and functions, the sum total of which con- 
stitutes life. 

But we must glance a little further at the origin 
of life. Life exists in the seed ; take, for instance, 
the acorn, the fruit of the oak, which at its ap- 
pointed period of ripeness, drops from its parent 
tree, and presents no character which would induce 
a belief (independent of experience) that it pos- 
sessed any properties beyond that of being eatable, 
and therefore capable of sustaining animal life. 
But this fruit possesses life ; a property, the exist- 
ence of which can only be shown by future circum- 
stances, but which is, nevertheless, inherent in the 
seed ; and which may never be developed, or may 
be most easily destroyed. It will never be de- 
veloped unless placed under favourable circum- 
stances for awakening the dormant principle ; or 
it may easily be destroyed by exposure to a little 
too much heat. 

But if placed within the balmy bosom of the 
earth, after a certain length of time, by a very 
beautiful process of nature's, the surrounding mois- 
ture is absorbed ; life is developed ; it is supported 
during its early stage by the food which itself 
contains, till the young plant has acquired suffi- 
cient power and vigour to procure its sustenance 
from the roots which it sends forth ; and from this 
early and apparently insignificant origin, stands 
forth by-and-bye, the monarch of the forest, slow 
in its growth, but magnificent in its maturity, and 
majestic in its decay. 

Here, however, is an example of the principle of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 243 

life, existing unseen, unknown, independent of 
living phenomena, undeveloped except after a 
lengthened process ; and yet so existing, asunder 

favouring circumstances to produce the most re- 
markable results. Here is life, anterior to the per- 
formance of function ; life, resulting not from 
organisation, but mysteriously connected with it, 
and which may be called into action when sub- 
jected to nature's laws. We trace this commu- 
nicated life backwards to the parent stem as the 
immediate agent, in handing down the principle; 
but if we ascend up to the first creation, it can only 
be derived from one of the primal laws of that 
creation, or, in other words, as a gift of that creating 
Hand which called all things into existence, and 
which gives life where He has so appointed. 

We take another instance. Life exists in the 
egg; it may easily be destroyed by heat, or cold, 
or neglect; it may exist for a long time, if not 
called into action ; but if, once developed, it be 
then neglected, it is no longer capable of re-cle- 
uelopement; even feeble life is extinct, and decom- 
position ensues. Now in the egg there is no 
performance of function — it remains just as we find 
it. and will so remain if left to itself. But the 
principle of life is there ; submit it only to in- 
cubation for a few hours, and the processes of life 
begin, and if allowed to go on, will, through a beau- 
tiful series of actions, result in the interesting little 
chicken, which will perform automatic acts before 
it quits the shell, and will enter at once upon in- 
stinctive animal or independent life, as soon as it 

r 2 



244 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

has quitted it. Now there is nothing in the process 
of natural or artificial incubation to give life; it 
exists beforehand, and has been only called into 
action. But if so, life exists anteriorly to function, 
and is the first link in the chain of developement 
of those organs, whose functions have been con- 
sidered as constituting life, whereas they are really 
the mere expression of a result which has accrued 
from life existing anteriorly to these functions. 

Whence comes this life ? handed down, of course, 
through the parent chicken — but as a principle 
superadded to organisation ; — superadded by whom, 
but by the all-bountiful Author and Giver of life ? 

Again, we advance to the perfection of animal 
life in man. Life exists in the original ovum, from 
which the future man is to be developed ; but it 
presents no semblance of life — it performs no func- 
tion — it possesses no power of independent life. 
Under the circumstances appointed by the laws of 
nature, a new action is set up ; dormant vitality 
is called forth ; the beautiful process of gestation 
commences ; intra-uterine life is supported till the 
full period has arrived that the little embryo is capa- 
ble of maintaining its own life; then extra-uterine 
life commences : it commences in the first auto- 
matic act of breathing, and with it occurs a change 
in the circulation as wonderful as the developement 
of life itself; the fcetal is exchanged for the adult 
circulation, by the conversion of a single to a 
double heart ; instinctive life commences, to be fol- 
lowed as the organs become perfected by intellectual 
life, to which may be also mentioned, as the crown- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 245 

ing point of all, moral life, or that which belongs 
to the now superadded principle of a spiritual ex- 
istence. 

In all this, however, it is clear that life precedes 
the developement of organisation ; and, therefore, 
that it cannot be constituted by the sum total of 
functions, which are the consequence of the de- 
velopement, and which cannot, therefore, pre-exist. 

Now it has been asserted, that the organisation 
itself submits to a progressive but inevitable altera- 
tion ; and that the moral constitution varies with 
the physical structure. This is not true ; and yet, 
like most other errors, it possesses some truth, or at 
least so much semblance of truth, as to give it cur- 
rency, and cause it to be received as such. 

Thus it is an acknowledged fact, that there is 
going on in the human body a constant process 
of decay and renovation ; that there is a daily 
change ; and that, besides these changes, it passes 
through the helplessness of infancy — the wayward- 
ness of adolescence — the elasticity of early manhood 
— the firmness of maturity — the loss of elasticity 
but not of energy — of commencing decline — the 
quietude and indolence of decay, and the feebleness 
of age. It is also true, that in these various 
periods there is a corresponding difference of 
mental manifestation, and that we shall in vain 
search for certain traits of mental developement, 
in a period of life unsuitable for their exhibition. 

But it is not true that the one is a consequence 
of the other, or that the moral constitution varies 
with the physical structure. If so, the former would 



246 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be dependent upon the latter; and man's moral 
character would be the result of his organisation, 
for which, therefore, he would not be held respon- 
sible. The error consists in confounding the 
manifestations of mind with the moral constitution, 
and so making the manifesting organ the moral 
constitution or the spiritual being; whereas, the 
spiritual principle or moral constitution is super- 
added to life — is imparted to man — the actings of 
which are seen through the medium of physical 
structure, but are not caused by it. 

The moral constitution cannot vary ; it appeals 
to principles which are immutable, which cannot 
fluctuate, or admit of change, according to the 
alterations of physical structure. The spiritual 
being is guided and governed by spiritual prin- 
ciples, which admit only of spiritual life and 
growth, and thus will be always progressive, and 
will be under the influence of good principles, and 
moral motives and incentives, as well as moral 
sanctions and obligations. 

While, however, the two are essentially distinct, 
they stand in that relation to each other, of organ 
appointed for carrying on, and manifesting the 
peculiar spiritual functions. And as such, it is 
allowed most cheerfully that the state of the organ 
will have a great influence, not on the moral con- 
stitution which is unchangeable except by moral 
influence, but on the manifestations of mind which 
are bright or clouded, direct or oblique, excellent 
or the contrary, according to the state of health or 
disorder of the said organ of mind. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 247 

We have thus a gradation in the history of life 
from the humblest individual of the cryptogamous 
plants up to man himself, the highest created in- 
telligence with which we are acquainted. In the 
former, the proofs of life are to be found, in all the 
obscurity of function with which it is enveloped ; 
and as we proceed upwards, we find a fuller up- 
holding of the principle in the beauty and mag- 
nificence of flowers and fruits, in the choice of soils 
suitable to each ; in their enjoyment, or loss of 
enjoyment, accordingly as they may have been 
planted or not in a congenial soil ; in their sleep 
or wakefulness, and that at particular hours ; in 
their love of light, their instinctive affection for 
water, their choice of soil to root in, their altering 
the direction of their roots from one that is un- 
congenial to another which is more suitable in 
their neighbourhood ; their enjoyment of warmth ; 
the death from cold ; their liability to disease ; 
and finally, the developement of something so very 
like a nervous system, that, although it cannot be 
admitted as such, yet from its functions it would 
seem to be as a substitute, given as a protective 
warning on the one hand, as in the species of 
mimosa ; or to secure its victim on the other, as in 
the dionsea muscipula. 

The origin of a nervous system is to be dimly 
traced in the very earliest and most limited produc- 
tions of animal nature, as in the invertebrated class 
of animals, ascending by very slow degrees of pro- 
gressive developement to that amount of advance- 
ment, in which we find first very distinct sensation 



248 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and volition, even in brutes ; and then onward to 
man, in whom we again find superadded some 
new principles suited to his present position and 
future prospects, as thought, memory, reasoning, 
reflection— the power of literary acquisition, choice 
of action, and conscience. 

In all these varying conditions, life exists often- 
times unseen, as the prime moving agent, and 
the determining cause of all the phenomena which 
ultimately are exhibited in connexion with its 
effects. In all these instances it seems to be pro- 
ducing the effects connected with its continuance, — - 
not, however, as their determining cause, but as the 
commissioned agent of the Great Governor of the 
universe. 

It is not their determining cause, — since, if so, its 
effects would always be the same, instead of being 
infinitely varied according to the habits and the 
situation of the individual. The truth is, that the 
nature of these phenomena is determined by the 
creating hand, — in every instance, characterized 
by infinite wisdom and goodness ; and the principle 
of life is given by him, in order to bring out, to 
sustain, and to perpetuate the arrangements which 
he has made. 

In every instance, this life must be referred to a 
hidden principle which we cannot comprehend, — 
a principle which has been conferred by the same 
Almighty hand which created an organisation pre- 
cisely suited to the habits, and tastes, and position 
of the created being, whatever these might be, 
always, however, marked by bringing] out the de- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 249 

signs of the Almighty, and by obedience to his 
will 

We have had a variety of theories of life, — 
chemical, mechanical, mathematical, electrical, — 
all of which must have possessed some semblance of 
truth, in order to give them currency for their little 
day of existence, yet all failing in this particular, 
that whatever resemblance there might be in some 
of these several phenomena to the phenomena of 
living action, there was always this essential dif- 
ference, that no known power could give life to 
any action, chemical, mathematical, mechanical, or 
electrical. 

With regard to the latter, it has appeared in so 
many instances to resemble nervous influence, to 
be capable of arousing the slumbering actions of 
life under such extreme circumstances, and to 
supply the place of volition to the several muscles 
of the body ; in fact, to present so many analogies 
with nervous influence as to be supposed to be 
identical with it. We shall not attempt to destroy 
these analogies — they exist : but even granting, 
what we could not grant, that electricity was not 
only analogous, but also identical with nervous in- 
fluence, yet nervous influence does not constitute 
life, — it is only one of its phenomena, (an important 
one, it is true,) and requires life to characterize its 
agencies, or to render it permanently effective, in 
continuing any of the vital phenomena. 

Here, then, we see that life does not consist in 
one of its phenomena, however important, any more 
than in that assemblage of functions which we 



250 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

have before shown do not constitute life. It is 
allowed that the different functions of the body 
are more or less dependent upon nervous influence, 
and that, deprived of that nervous influence, their 
function will be perverted, or altogether suspended. 
But this fact will equally apply to the blood, and, 
indeed, more strongly ; for unless the nervous 
structure gets a due supply of blood, it will not 
furnish a sufficiency of nervous influence to pre- 
serve the health of the different organs. The truth 
is, that both the circulation of the body, and the 
function of innervation are vital phenomena; — are 
necessary to the continuance of life, but are not 
life itself; they may assist its restoration, when it 
is only suspended, but they cannot communicate 
life, and indeed must themselves be set in motion 
through its assistance. 

So again with regard to the mechanical hypo- 
thesis. No arrangement of machinery could give 
life, — none could support it — none even could 
imitate its phenomena. It might be sufficient to 
determine this theory, merely to mention that 
machinery possesses no power of self-preservation, 
or of self-restoration. It is set in motion by a 
certain power, and may go on as long as that power 
is continued, and as the several parts of the ma- 
chinery remain unbroken, and in their ordinary 
succession ; but get one wheel wrong, and the 
whole machinery stops, and can only be again set 
in motion by agency from the exterior. 

But if in the living machine anything injurious 
to life has taken place, or any lsesion has been sus- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 251 

tained, the first effort is an attempt to repair the 
mischief, to preserve the system from destruction, 
and to protect it from the ravages of disease. In 
accomplishing this, it is true, Nature some- 
times overacts her part, and produces fever, for 
instance, when she only intends a certain amount 
of conservative action. But this is a living process, 
and is only another proof of the existence of life 
as a principle independent of machinery, and unlike 
any other known agent. The truth is, there is 
first machinery, which has no power of self- restora- 
tion ; and to this life is superadded, and with it the 
power of self-conservation. 

To this power, as distinctive from the mecha- 
nical theory, must be added that of voluntary loco- 
motion, and of volition generally. No power com- 
municated to machinery will enable it to move 
under the influence of volition, will enable it to 
choose or select, to judge and to determine, ac- 
cording to certain given circumstances, what will 
be best to be done, or, more important than all, 
to be left undone ; a property of which not even 
the semblance of analogy can be found in mecha- 
nical agency. 

Not more happy is the chemical hypothesis. For, 
in the first place, life resists the changes which 
result from chemical action. So far from the body 
being influenced by chemical affinities during life, 
it is actually the fact that life enables it to resist 
their influence ; and the chemical action and re- 
action of the particles of which it is composed, 
only become cognizable to the senses after dissolu- 



252 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tion has taken place, and decomposition has com- 
menced. Nor can the recomposition of these 
organic elements again take place under the 
influence of chemical agency ; so that, in fact, 
chemical agency has nothing to do with their for- 
mation, continuance, or restoration ; and therefore 
it cannot form the origin of vital phenomena, or be 
coincident with life itself. 

It has been asserted that the process of secretion 
is one of elective attraction, and consequently 
under the influence of chemistry. But it is clear 
that no chemical " influence can imitate secretion, 
or form from one and the same fluid different 
products, as bile, tears, saliva, perspiration, gastric 
fluid, and many other secretions of very dissimilar 
properties ; and so it is also clear that the office 
of the secreting organ cannot be continued, unless 
it be duly supplied with nervous influence ; and 
it has been already shown, that however there may 
be some analogies between electricity and nervous 
influence, there is no identity ; and that the one 
is perfectly incapable of becoming a substitute for 
the other. 

Moreover, there are other processes in nature, 
such as digestion, sanguification, alimentation, &c, 
which cannot be referred to chemical action, and 
over which chemical agency has no influence. 
These are essentially vital actions ; cannot be 
conducted out of the body— cannot be imitated by 
chemistry — cannot be hastened or arrested by its 
influence ; and so long as the body remains in 
health, and under common circumstances, are 



OF BODY AND MIND. 253 

altogether exempted from its agency ; while there 
is an essential property in all, distinguishing them 
from any analogous processes, a property to be 
termed vital, conferred only by life, and inex- 
plicable except by reference to this primordial 
law. 

Seeing, then, that the phenomena of life are 
inexplicable upon any of these hypotheses, and, 
moreover, that life exerts a very peculiar influence 
upon them, we must next inquire into the operation 
of this influence on the morale, or upon mental 
manifestation ; for assuredly, as it produces a modi- 
fying agency upon the body, so does it also upon 
the mind. 

A very little consideration will show that medi- 
tation, reflection, selection, association, judgment, 
&c, are dependent upon life ; since it must be 
clear that we exercise these faculties upon impres- 
sions formerly received by the senses, assisted by 
others, which we are enabled by research to pro- 
cure at the moment ; and that by a just com- 
parison of all three, we are enabled to decide. 
Thus much before we arrive at action ; and when 
we look to its phenomena, to the will, and to its 
varied influence upon different parts of the animal 
economy, and to the nature of that will, whether 
energetic or feeble, right-minded or perverse, simple 
or fabricated from various sophisticated views, we 
shall see at once the influence which life must 
exert upon the manifestations of mind. 

It must be recollected that in man there is a 
spiritual as well as an animal life ; and that the 



254 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

former is superadded to the latter, and destined to 
live beyond it. By this man differs from, and is 
superior to, the animals around him ; from this 
society takes its origin, with all its written and 
unwritten laws, sanctions, usages, customs, and 
principles, and from this arises the developement 
of moral manifestation, — important in a social point 
of view — but all-important as regards the formation 
of christian character, and the display of christian 
conduct. One remarkable feature of this spiritual 
life, because essentially different from any attribute 
of animal life, is its susceptibility of improvement. 
We have seen that progression is essential to its 
very existence ; and that while animal life is per- 
fect for all its purposes from its original, spiritual 
life is always on the increase ; and that although 
its manifestations may be impeded by its con- 
nexion with animal life, and its alliance to the 
material organs by which it is manifested ; al- 
though its operations may be checked by an im- 
perfect culture of that organ ; although they may 
be perverted and obscured by disease ; although 
they may be dimmed by age, and suspended by 
death, still the life is in them ; still they are 
making progress through every difficulty to that 
clay when the veil of mortality shall be drawn 
aside, and, for weal or for woe, the spirit shall 
stand disenchanted of its mortal coil, and shall 
enter into fulness of joy, or sorrow inconceiv- 
able. 

In considering the phenomena of this com- 
pounded life, it is quite necessary always to keep 



OF BODY AND MIND. 255 

in view the distinction between sensation and 
passion. Thus sensation is produced first upon 
certain nerves, which are the conductors to the 
brain ; by it the sensation is perceived, and 
through it the impression is communicated on- 
wards to the spiritual life, where, according to its 
nature, and actual or fancied associations, it will 
develope certain mental conditions, which are 
called passions, such as anger, grief, joy, fear, &c. 

Now the influence of these passions upon animal 
life is so considerable, and operates so largely 
upon its phenomena, and through them is again 
reflected backwards upon the mental manifesta- 
tions, producing very complicated phenomena, that 
it is necessary to consider them for a moment ; es- 
pecially since they operate so largely upon organic 
life, that it has been supposed, though unjustly, 
that the passions had their seats in the interior 
organs of animal life, whereas it will be seen that 
they only exert an influence upon those organs 
through the medium of the brain. 

For example, an impression is made upon one of 
the organs of sense, which is communicated to the 
brain, and gives rise to anger : anger disturbs and 
agitates the animal spirits ; the action of the heart 
is accelerated, the blood is sent round its course 
with an increased impetus ; it is determined chiefly 
to interior life, and the internal organs get an undue 
supply, as well as that the momentum with which 
it circulates is increased. Hence arise disordered 
function, suspension of natural action, perverted 
secretion, congestion, inflammation, and a series 



256 THE- RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of morbid actions by which the organs themselves 
become points of consciousness ; the disorder is 
perceived by the brain ; its capacity for intellectual 
exertion is diminished, and the manifestations of 
mind are altered. 

Again, an agreeable impression is produced, 
which, in the same way, gives rise to the passion of 
joy. But the effect upon the body is very dif- 
ferent ; for, although its first revulsive action (if 
the occasion be a powerful one) is to drive the blood 
back to its citadel, yet an almost immediate re- 
action takes place, by which the blood is distri- 
buted to the skin, and other extreme vessels, and 
an impression of tone or health is given to the 
body, which renders it apt to do well, and fortifies 
it against the impressions of disorder. 

Upon the same principle, hope and all other en- 
couraging passions, give firmness to health, and 
uphold the bodily functions ; while fear, grief, &c, 
greatly suspend, or weaken, or pervert those func- 
tions. Sometimes, if their impressions be of a very 
violent character, or the constitution have been 
previously enfeebled, or be of a nervous and highly 
susceptible character, or be particularly prone to 
disorder, or be possessed of a compact originally 
weak, or be exhausted by any long, and especially 
sudden expenditure of nervous energy, animal life 
may be extinguished by the vehemence of the im- 
pression produced upon the mind, and through it 
on the harmony of the bodily actions. 

This generally happens when sudden, by an im- 
mediate effect produced upon the head or the heart ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 257 

either the vessels of the former, are so distended by 
the inordinate quantity of blood which they receive, 
that congestion largely takes place, and by conse- 
quent pressure, the function of the organ is sus- 
pended ; or some one or more vessels give way; or 
there is a considerable breaking up of the nervous 
fibre; and in all these cases the phenomena of 
apoplexy or paralysis are produced. 

So, also, if the heart be feeble, its supply of 
nervous energy may be suspended by the violence 
of emotion, so that its function may be superseded 
at once; or fainting may be produced, and the 
heart may be incapable of resuming its action in 
time for carrying on the processes of life, (unless, 
indeed, artificial respiration had been employed, 
which in such cases it seldom is, though it might 
be advantageously ,) or, from an overloaded state of 
its cavities, it is so gorged as to be unable to act 
upon its contents ; or from previous thinning of its 
coats, or other disease, it may irretrievably give 
way ; and, again, animal life will be laid down 
under the disturbing agency of spiritual emotion. 

This, too, is a frequent source of slow disease, 
where the emotion has not been of so sudden or 
violent a character as at once to extinguish life ; or 
where the original strength of the organ has been 
sufficient to enable it to make a successful resistance 
against the immediate morbid impulse. And in 
this case, perhaps, the phenomena are somewhat 
different, and disorder of general function is the 
first thing to be observed ; disease making slow pro- 

s 



258 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

gress, and disorganisation being the work of much 
time. 

Now this change appears to act thus : a painful 
impression is made, is perceived by the brain, and 
communicated to the mind, which becomes pre- 
occupied by it, and makes in consequence large 
demands upon the cerebral agency ; then nervous 
influence, which is daily produced in order to sup- 
port the bodily actions, and the mental manifesta- 
tions, is too exclusively taken up by the latter — not 
so much, perhaps, for the purpose of manifestation, 
as for the infinitely more consuming office of bearing 
up under, or concealing the constant misery of a 
wounded spirit. Concentrated and hidden suffer- 
ing is that which makes the largest demands upon 
the brain. Now, the result of this is, that a certain 
quantity only being daily produced, and an undue 
proportion being given to spiritual suffering, 
enough is not left to maintain the functions of 
organic life in all their integrity : the supply of 
nervous energy to the respective organs, is irre- 
gular, or insufficient, or perverted ; and disorder of 
the animal functions is the consequence. 

Thus, for instance, disease of the heart has been 
of much more common occurrence of late years, 
especially after any season of commercial distress, 
or political excitement. This was very remarkably 
exemplified after the revolution in France, and in 
our own country after seasons of great and unfor- 
tunate speculation. Something may be allowed to 
increased habits of observation on this head ; dis- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



259 



orders of the heart were neglected till recently, till 
attention was aroused to their existence, by Senac 
and Corvisart ; but this will not entirely account 
for the greater frequency with which these disturb- 
ances are now encountered. 

But it will be asked, how is this ? since the heart 
is not a voluntary organ ; since it is even indepen- 
dent of the will ; and since, therefore, it is 
sparingly supplied with nerves ? Affections of the 
heart are generated by emotion in two ways ; first, 
through the medium of the blood, and, secondly, 
through the medium of the nervous system ; to 
which might perhaps be added, a third mode of 
influence, to be termed sympathy with other organs ; 
which, however, resolves itself into another form 
of nervous influence, only, perhaps, that we may 
not always be able to trace the filaments of nervous 
connexion. 

a. Disease of the heart is produced through the 
medium of the impression of the circulating fluid 
itself, which gives rise to uneasiness of the organ ; 

By being in too great or too small quantity; 

By the force with which it beats against the walls 
of the heart ; or, 

By the degree of energy which it calls upon that 
heart to exert to relieve itself of its oppressive load, 
or to make up for the deficiency of its supply, as 
well as for its own diminished energy, by the fre- 
quency and the irritability of its beat. 

A slight degree of uneasiness only is at first 
occasioned, then distress and embarrassment ; then 
intermission, and afterwards suspension, or inter- 

s 2 



260 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

ruption of action, till by repetition of these morbid 
states, a change of structure takes place, intended 
to accommodate the organ to the new modes of its 
action, but which is overdone, and which gives rise 
to atrophy or hypertrophy of its muscular fibres, in 
one or more of its cavities, and to those gradual 
changes which ultimately terminate in disorgani- 
sation. 

b. A similar result is produced through the 
medium of the nervous system. But how is this, 
since its supply of nerves is so sparing, and since 
it is not dependent on the will ? To this question 
it is answered, first, that the importance of a nerve 
in the animal economy is not to be measured by its 
size ; for not only in this, but in other instances, 
do we find small nerves performing the most im- 
portant functions, and exercising an astonishing 
power by their direct and associated influence ; 
this, therefore, does not form an objection against 
the degree of agency exerted upon the heart, 
through the medium of the nervous system. 

In aid of this a priori reasoning comes the ob- 
servation of facts. Everybody knows that power- 
ful emotions exert an immediate influence upon the 
heart, and produce distress there, insomuch, that it 
has been supposed to be the seat of the affective 
faculties. This is absurd : the impression which 
gives rise to emotion, whether from within or from 
without, is first made upon nervous structure, and 
is then communicated to the heart, producing, by 
the violence of its action, or the frequency of its 
repetition, that state of disorder which has been 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



261 



mentioned, and which occasions a fresh focus of 
morbid action, by the irregular and perverted distri- 
bution of the blood, which gives rise to uneasiness in 
all the organs which it supplies. 

This influence is then more extensively felt in 
producing disorder of the general health. Thus, a 
certain amount of nervous energy is necessary to 
the function of digestion ; cut off this supply en- 
tirely, and digestion is impossible : let it be insuffi- 
cient, and digestion is only partially accomplished ; 
let it be perverted, and a depraved form of diges- 
tion occurs ; irritation and uneasiness of the 
stomach are produced, with acidity, and a long 
train of horrors : these produce a reflex influence 
upon the brain, shown first in unwonted sleepiness 
and inaptitude for intellectual pursuits, followed 
closely by dreams, and uneasy and unrefreshing 
sleep ; next morning, the patient gets up listless 
and feeble, and the bodily as well as the intellectual 
functions are disturbed ; headache and irritability 
are the result; nervous energy is wasted upon 
trifles, or worse than trifles : the hour of dinner 
recurs ; there is less power of digestion than the 
day before ; and this goes on oftentimes in a 
rapidly-augmenting ratio, till the stomach becomes 
the seat of chronic inflammation, and ulceration, or 
other morbid action, which by slow degrees con- 
ducts the patient to the tomb, the victim of his own 
actions, and frequently the miserable and involun- 
tary suicide of his own better feelings and prin- 
ciples. 

But the evil does not rest here ; for suppose the 



262 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

stomach itself to escape, yet the food it has par- 
tially and imperfectly acted upon, is not fitted for 
the next stage in the process of assimilation ; for 
the same reason, the bile and pancreatic fluids, 
with which it should be now mixed, are either in 
undue quantity, or of a vitiated quality ; and con- 
sequently their proper influence is lost ; the elabo- 
ration and assimilation of this half-digested mass 
are incomplete ; the process of sanguification is 
imperfect ; and under such circumstances nutrition 
is impossible ; the process of absorption goes on, 
without being balanced by an equilibrium of de- 
posit ; the patient grows thin : and now what more 
takes place ? Even the deepening shades of morbid 
action ; blood is supplied in insufficient quantity to 
the brain ; nervous energy is less and less perfectly 
distributed ; various irritations, more or less severe, 
take place in the body ; the head is more and 
more distressed ; there is less and still less aptitude 
for intellectual pursuit ; there is a greater prevalence 
of the peculiar temperament, with diminished 
power of the will ; till the weakest organ of the 
body fails, and disorder of general function is con- 
verted into local disease, which, in its progress, 
makes more or less inroads upon the constitution, 
according as the diseased organ is more or less 
necessary to the continuance of life ; till, sooner or 
later, the system is worn out by lengthened irri- 
tation. 

Such is an every-day example of the influence of 
the mind upon the body. The same fact is shown 
by many little circumstances, which need only to 



OF BODY AND MIND. 263 

be mentioned, in order to secure the assent of 
common sense to their truth ; witness the suffusion 
of the countenance in blushing ; the shrunk features 
and pale goose-skin produced by alarm ; the chat- 
tering of the teeth, under fear and other nervous 
irritations ; the increase of various secretions from 
mental emotion, as of the tears in sorrow, or the 
bile in anger ; the palpitation of the heart, under 
almost every sudden emotion, the short and quick- 
ened breathing of expectation, the oppressed and 
stifled respiration of intense and harrowing emo- 
tion ; the arrested and almost imperceptible action 
of breathless anxiety and expectancy ; the influence 
upon the muscles of expression of the countenance, 
alternately lighted up with joy, or worn with 
anxiety and suffering, and the thousand varied 
emotions which they are capable of expressing ; 
the plump portliness of the man at ease, and the 
extreme thinness of the victim of deep disappoint- 
ment, or of any long-continued devouring passion ; 
so that to be dried by grief — to be devoured by 
remorse — to be consumed by sorrow, are not only 
common expressions, but literal representations of 
actual bodily conditions : such is the influence of 
interior life upon the body. 

We have just alluded to sympathy ; a term which 
represents that state or condition of the mind of 
man, which forms the basis of all active benevolence 
towards his fellow-man ; and extends into a thou- 
sand ramifications of useful and valuable feeling 
and action ; a condition which actually represents 
the sufferings experienced by one, in consequence 



264 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of the sufferings, wants, sorrows, or destitution 
of others, and the sincere desire to relieve them. 
There is a corresponding condition of the nervous 
system, under which one action is physiologically 
set up at one part of the system, in consequence of 
some other physiological action being established 
at another part of that system : and what is of 
more importance to our present inquiry, one asso- 
ciated morbid action is set up in consequence of an 
analogous morbid action going on at a distance ; 
this too is oftentimes linked in with many other 
morbid actions, the connexion with which is very 
generally untraceable, and therefore its existence 
has been denied, or derided, or doubted, or disbe- 
lieved, by persons wanting observation, and who are 
not disposed to give credence to anything short of 
demonstration. 

Yet, as well might it be said, that there was no 
sympathy in the human bosom ; that man had no 
regard for the sufferings of his fellow- men ; that he 
could listen unmoved to the recital of others' 
wretchedness ; that he could have the power of 
relieving their sorrows, without the will — without 
the promptings of desire to succour the miserable ; 
as well might it be said, that this last and tattered 
remnant of man's original goodness was extin- 
guished, as that the analogous principle was want- 
ing in his physical constitution. 

Of late years, the extraordinary influence of the 
nervous system in producing simulated disease, has 
attracted no small share of attention ; but the 
knowledge thus acquired is scanty indeed, com- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 265 

pared with what it will one day be, when we know 
more of the nature and extraordinary agency of 
that system, which links together every part of the 
body into one mysterious whole, and which is capa- 
ble of presenting the most sudden and wonder- 
ful transmutations. We shall often have occasion 
to notice this influence as we proceed ; it is here 
only necessary to put forth the principle, the 
workings of which will be afterwards detailed. 

This sympathetic action, which may arise in 
the brain, or in any part of the living machi- 
nery, extends to all the organs and functions of 
the body, directly or indirectly, immediately or 
remotely. It is this fact which renders it often 
difficult to trace back a morbid action to its origi- 
nating cause, precisely because it has no direct 
connexion with it; and perhaps has passed through 
a considerable series of sympathies, before the 
first disturbing cause has arrived at the present, 
ultimate morbid action, which, however, never 
would have existed but for that cause. 

One characteristic of these sympathetic affections 
is, that they are involuntary, and may oftentimes 
be removed by an effort of the will ; a fact which 
shows that one powerful impression made upon 
the nervous system is capable of suspending or 
superseding another powerful impression made 
independently of the will, and is one most im- 
portant proof of the supremacy of mind over 
matter : the mind, that is, the will as a part of 
mind, triumphs over the morbid actions of the 
body; and this affords a beautiful illustration of 



266 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

what we have before contended for, viz. the ex- 
istence of a supreme governing principle, distinct 
from, but giving laws to, and acting through the 
medium of, the nervous system. 

One other phenomenon of life must be here men- 
tioned, which may be called constitutional predispo- 
sition. This may consist in some large develop- 
ment of one or more organs of the body ; or it may 
depend upon the peculiarity of the nervous influ- 
ence which is conveyed to them ; or upon the 
nature of the nervous centre which receives the 
impression conveyed from the organ to the think- 
ing principle ; it may be repressed by habit, or 
augmented by indulgence ; or it may exist at one 
time, and not at another. But it will constantly 
lead to thoughtless action, reflection over which 
almost immediately produces regret, remorse, sor- 
row, and repentance. Here again, is exhibited 
the action of two principles ; the one bodily, lead- 
ing to the gratification of body, and often to a 
forgetfulness of better motives: the other mental, 
which reproves the individual for having listened 
to, and acted upon, his organic suggestions ; which 
recalls him to his better self, awakens his princi- 
ples, calls up his moral defences, enlivens his moral 
sense, and carries him back at once to the divine 
laws, which are given for the direction of conduct, 
and but for which man would be a selfish demon, 
and this world a hell of self-gratifying passion, 
and of animal predominance without control. 
But, God be thanked, we have also a better prin- 
ciple warring against this influence of body, and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 267 

which carries us above its temptations, by the aid 
of that strength which is from above, and of that 
mind which has been given by God ; and of that 
grace of His Spirit which has been promised to the 
sincere, that is, to him who seeks to be good, and 
to do good — all the good he can. 

Nevertheless, partly from original constitution, 
partly from early associations, partly from educa- 
tion, and partly from surrounding circumstances 
and relations, we have to notice great individuality 
of character, the predominance of intelligence in 
one, of affection in another, of passion in a third, 
of animal degradation in a fourth, and of peculiar 
aptitudes in all these greater divisions of human 
action and passion. It is very important in the 
cultivation of self-discipline, and in the formation 
of character, to study these peculiarities, to repress 
those which reason and conscience tell us should 
be discouraged, and to bring out into stronger and 
more prominent relief such moral qualifications as 
will prove the antidote against those constitutional 
or acquired peculiarities which will keep the 
animal in due subjugation to the moral man; and 
which will preserve his original dignity, or at least 
restore it in some measure to that goodly likeness 
whence it has so grievously fallen. 

That will be the best system, the most perfect in 
its demonstrations, and the least prone to error 
and obliquity, where these several actions are as 
nearly as possible equipoised ; where passion ani- 
mates and kindles, and exalts intellectual life to 
its highest pitch, yet at the same time without 



268 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

escaping the government of the will ; and where 
judgment always effectually modifies and controls 
emotions, that is, in fact, where the moral nature 
is made to preside over and govern the animal, — 
and yet where it is preserved from quietism by the 
zest of that life which forms the mainspring of 
action, associates man with man, and gives point 
and energy to existence. 

The various degrees in which this can be effected, 
according to the modifying power exerted by 
animal organisation over moral and intellectual 
manifestation ; and, moreover, the various degrees 
in which it is influenced by the predominance of 
mind, by the prevalence of the will, and by the 
just government of organic life ; and the conse- 
quent preponderance of mind or matter, of the 
spiritual or animal life, of the morale or the phy- 
sique ; and the several peculiarities arising out of 
this predominance constitute individual character, 
and form the great and broad basis of human 
action as it is, rather than as it ought to be. 

It is, however, time that our attention were 
directed for a little space to the termination of life. 
This may happen from disease, or it may occur 
from the general exhaustion and expenditure of 
that modicum of life which has been given to 
every one on coming into the world, but which 
may be shortened by imprudence and disease on 
the one hand, or lengthened by care, and by the 
avoidance of causes tending to the more rapid 
expenditure of the principle of life. 

Where death happens from the gradual waning 



OF BODY AND MIND. 269 

of existence in old age, it is not from the giving 
way of one particular organ which would constitute 
disease, but from the slow undermining of one 
function after another, occasioning loss of power 
and sensibility, disturbing the united harmony of 
the economy, so that life is carried on by a con- 
siderable effort, till the organs are no longer 
capable of sustaining that effort, and death occurs, 
perhaps even without a trace of disease. 

In this case, it is found that the senses generally 
give way first, and that their results become 
feeble and uncertain ; while those ordinary im- 
pressions which should have stimulated them under 
common circumstances, no longer arouse them 
into action. A little reflection will show how 
obviously this takes place. Perhaps the sight is 
the first to give way ; and it is notorious how much 
this is the case in the comparatively young ; after 
this the hearing becomes less acute, and finally 
very imperfect ; the touch and smelling become 
obtuse and indistinct ; and all these cease to con- 
vey slight impressions or accurate notices to the 
intelligent principle within, through the ordinary 
medium of communication. The taste, however, 
remains somewhat longer, and is perhaps the last 
remnant of animal existence ; this is strikingly 
shown by the longing, lingering enjoyment of the 
pleasures of the table, which is too frequently met 
with in old persons, and which is in them not 
wrong in itself, but an instance of misplaced atten- 
tion and enjoyment. 

It has been supposed by some that the survivor- 



270 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

ship of taste, the most purely animal sense, was a 
proof of how far man had departed from his great 
original, — how debased and grovelling his nature 
had become, that he should be stimulated and 
revived by these sordid enjoyments, so ill suited to 
an immortal creature, rapidly approaching the 
term of his mortal existence, and preparing for a 
new state of being, one of infinite holiness and 
purity. But this is not true ; man has quite 
enough to answer for without making him re- 
sponsible for what he is not responsible, and it will 
be seen that this change really proceeds from 
Nature's conservative wisdom — preserving that sense 
which is chiefly necessary to the maintenance of 
life. The others limit intellectual enjoyment, 
moral usefulness, and social duty ; but if the same 
change had passed upon the sense of taste, in how 
many instances would have resulted that gradual 
" deperissement" of the body, which would terminate 
in the extinction of life ; and how beautifully has 
Nature taken care to preserve that life, by render- 
ing its nutrition a source of enjoyment ! 

In approaching natural death, the state of the 
brain becomes an object of considerable import- 
ance, because there are persons who contend for the 
improvement, ripening, and maturity of the men- 
tal manifestations, as man approaches the term of 
his probation, and is about to drop the material 
veil of his spiritual faculties. Here, again, the 
truth is obscured by a desire to serve a favourite 
hypothesis, which after all is perfectly true in 
itself, but untrue in its application to certain cir- 
cumstances. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



271 



It is perfectly true that man's moral nature is 
essentially progressive, and that his spiritual growth 
is exhibited by the control of his passions, the 
watching over and conquest of his physical tempe- 
rament, the subjugation of his evil propensities, 
and the calmness with which he bears the visita- 
tions of the storms of life, his equanimity under 
trying circumstances, his benevolence towards 
others, his desire to make them happy and good, 
his abnegation of self, his diminished love for the 
world, and increased desire after all that is pure, 
and holy, and virtuous, sufficiently mark the moral 
growth, the increased firmness, and development 
of spiritual principle. 

With this admission the spiritualist should be 
contented ; for it is as much as he requires. But 
when he contends that the manifestatioris of this 
principle are more accurate, and lively, and bril- 
liant, and more easily adapted to all the changing 
circumstances, he asks for more than is true ; and 
when he goes further, and asserts that the intel- 
lectual fire burns brighter as it is draw in & nearer 
to its extinction, (with an exception to be presently 
noticed,) he contends not only for that which is not 
true, but which is notoriously the contrary ; for, in 
the first place, we have seen the change which 
takes place upon the senses, and it is allowed on 
all hands that there must be a corresponding paucity 
and feebleness of the consecutive ideas. 

Then the facts are, that literary labour becomes 
irksome ; first, the elasticity and tension of the 
intellect are impaired — the power of application is 



272 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



diminished — the love of pursuit is decreased — the 
perception becomes slow and erroneous — the ima- 
gination, for a long time giving way, becomes quite 
extinct in old age — the memory of the immediate 
past is obliterated — while that of scenes, and 
events, and reflections long since passed, remains ; 
the aptitude for comparison in order to inferential 
reasoning, has been constantly wearing out; and 
the mind comes to its conclusions, for the most 
part, as the result of applied, and often misap- 
plied experience ; and therefore the judgment 
becomes infirm and vacillating ; and all these 
things show, that the brain is no longer that strong 
and perfect organ which it once was, but that it 
partakes the general decay of nature — a decay, in 
fact, which could not occur, if the centre of the 
nervous system retained all its energies. 

Two circumstances may be urged against the 
truth of this position, — first, the fact, that we do 
sometimes see extraordinary mental power in ex- 
treme old age ; and next, that there seems to be 
oftentimes a great degree of energy of the brain, 
shortly before death takes place. Now, with regard 
to the former, it is admitted to be true in some 
solitary instances ; but these are only extraordinary, 
the exceptions from the general sequences of 
nature, which confirm rather than invalidate the 
rule. And as respects the latter, it is one of those 
phenomena, perhaps inexplicable, but which seems 
to be dependent upon a peculiar condition, pre- 
ceding, and premonishing the setting in of dire 
disaster about to occur in some part of the system. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 273 

This is forcibly exemplified in the stomach, when 
the wild cravings of appetite and hunger do fre- 
quently and closely precede that state of exhaustion, 
in which it is incapable of digestion, or carrying on 
its function, — in which, in point of fact, it becomes 
dead. So with regard to the brain, this state of 
excitement, this " lightening before death, " is the 
intellectual craving which closely precedes the dis- 
solution of the connexion between the spiritual mind 
and its organ. So true is it, that the brain follows 
in its history the usual changes of organic life, 
while the spiritual mind rises superior to, and is 
not affected by them, except in so far as its mani- 
festations are influenced by the state of the mani- 
festing organ. 

Another proof of this condition is the feebleness 
of the organs of voice, and of the power of loco- 
motion ; both these, it is undeniable, become feeble 
and uncertain ; and why ? but because they do 
not get a due supply of nervous energy ; the brain 
cannot send them a sufficient quantity to give tone 
to their actions ; hence their feebleness and im- 
perfection ; hence the reaction of the brain upon 
the muscles becomes weaker as man gradually 
draws nearer towards his long home ; " in the day 
when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and 
the strong men shall bow themselves, and the 
grinders cease because they are few, and those that 
look out of the windows be darkened.'' 

With regard to the functions of interior life, 
these appear to survive the decay which has been 
slowly creeping on the other organs of animal life ; 

t 



274 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

yet even here the work of dissolution is com- 
mencing and slowly carrying on the final pulling 
down of this material tabernacle, which serves as 
the temporary habitation for, and instrument of, 
the spiritual principle. 

When an individual really dies from old age, it 
will be found that the organs generally become 
feeble in their function ; that decrepitude gradually 
creeps upon all, without any one becoming the 
prominent sufferer ; the measure of life, which has 
been originally given to each individual, is slowly 
spent without being extinguished, and death takes 
place, because the feeble nickering light of senile 
life has no longer power to be supported, and the 
person drops from present existence, without having 
become the subject of disease. 

Very much more frequently, however, general 
death occurs from the giving way of one or other 
important organ ; from its function being sus- 
pended by accident, or acute disorder, or some 
structural disease. And this will be produced from 
various causes ; first the ordinary predisposing cir- 
cumstances and occasional causes of disorder ; or 
the occurrence of any of the acute specific forms of 
malady by which human life is constantly threat- 
ened ; or by the slower process of organic changes 
so materially interrupting the peculiar function as 
to take away from the constitution something 
essential to its well-being, and producing that 
degree of irritation, under the combined agency of 
which, the system ultimately gives way ; and sooner 
or later, according to the degree of importance of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 275 

the organ diseased, in the animal economy ; and 
according to the nature and amount of its degene- 
ration or deviation from healthy structure. 

Various causes may have contributed to this 
result; as first, the original feebleness of any one 
organ ; its tendency, whether necessary or acci- 
dental, to frequent disorder of function ; its want 
of employment, and, far more frequently than all, 
the abuse of its function — its too great excitement 
and consequent collapse, and diminished vitality — 
an effect which always takes away from its power 
of resisting disease. 

This alteration of structure may be simple or 
malignant : it may consist in too great or too little 
growth, which would be simple disorganisation ; 
or a new structure may be developed of a cancerous 
or tubercular nature, which, from the rapidity of 
its growth or its deep injury to the system, or the 
fearful certainty with which it destroys life, is termed 
malignant. 

It will be easy to see how each individual may 
become accessary to his own destruction by a want 
of proper attention in preserving the harmonious 
equilibrium of interior life ; thus the gastronome 
prepares the way for disease of the stomach by the 
constant irritation and overloading of that organ ; 
the brain is enfeebled or exhausted by the habits 
of every literary person ; the liver gives way from 
the stimulation of the drunkard ; the heart and the 
stomach, too, are more particularly under the in- 
fluence of strong emotion, and exhausting melan- 

t 2 



276 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

choly, and so on, with regard to all the functions 
of interior life. 

And it will be remembered, that, begin where 
you may, such is the order of dependence of one 
organ upon another, that the absence or undue 
performance of function of any one introduces that 
disorder, which, unless timely arrested, involves 
in its fatal influence every other, destroys the 
cohesiveness of life, produces morbid sympathy, 
gives rise to constitutional fever — and then ulti- 
mately the organ dies, and involves its neighbour 
and dependent organs in one common ruin. 

Take, for instance, the stomach ; — the first 
symptom of disordered action, perhaps, consists 
in the slightest degree of uneasiness — not, certainly, 
to be called pain — only just a centre of conscious- 
ness, which teaches the individual he possesses a 
stomach, whereas, if perfectly healthy, the function 
of this organ would be carried on unconsciously ; 
and probably with this condition there is a frequent 
tendency to acidity, so that the work of digestion 
becomes laborious ; and the food received into the 
stomach is very apt to ferment, rather than to 
digest. 

This state may arise from various causes ; and 
it is very generally neglected. It may be, that the 
supply of nervous energy is not sufficient to prevent 
disordered action ; and this, because the stomach 
is asked to do more than its native power will 
enable it to accomplish ; or because the supply 
of nervous energy is cut off, in consequence of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 277 

brain not producing enough, (which, however, 
would involve the idea of prior disorder of the 
brain,) or in consequence of too much being ex- 
pended upon some other organ or function. 

Both cause and effect are generally misunder- 
stood ; the patient rests in generalities ; he has a 
weak stomach, or his digestion is not good, or he 
has eaten something which disagreed with him ; 
and the inquiry ends here, instead of really ascer- 
taining what is the cause for this commencement 
of evil ; and so, the time for remedial agency is 
suffered to pass unimproved ; nature's apprehension 
of evil is entirely thrown away ; till the conscious- 
ness becomes a pain, and a grand centre for the 
radiation of morbid action ; digestion becomes 
more and more feeble; the food is not properly 
assimilated ; the body is not adequately nourished ; 
the blood ceases to acquire all the red particles 
it demands; the cerebral system is supplied by 
blood which is not endued with a sufficient amount 
of vitality ; the production of nervous influence 
is rendered uncertain, irregular, defective, or even 
irritative ; every function languishes ; every organ 
is tossed from its equilibrium, and becomes less 
and less capable of supporting life ; disease ad- 
vances, and the system is worn out by irritation, 
if not previously destroyed by ulceration of the 
stomach ; so also with regard to other organs, which 
we cannot now particularize. 

How far, then, are the organs of interior life 
acted upon by passion ? How far may they be 
said to be the seat of those passions? How far 



278 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

may life be said to be destroyed by emotion ? It 
has been asserted that the organs of interior life 
are the seat of passion ; and that we are to look 
to the influence upon them for the cause of death 
in all those cases when the event seems to have 
been produced by emotion. It is more than ques- 
tionable, however, how far emotion has any direct 
influence upon these organs ; that it has an indirect 
influence through the medium of the brain, none 
can doubt ; but unless it be direct, other causes 
may operate intermediately so as to produce the 
effect which may have been ascribed to the agency 
of one cause, which, in fact, formed only a link in 
the chain of causation. 

Now it has been asserted by Bichat, that death 
from emotion, temporary as in fainting, permanent 
and irretrievable as is this state when prolonged, 
is produced first by the suspension of the action of 
the heart, leading to the extinction of the function 
of the brain. Now it is perfectly true, that tem- 
porary death or fainting is produced by the loss of 
action of the brain, arising from a defect in its 
supply of blood ; and thus the cause of fainting 
seems to be the suspended action of the heart. And 
so it is ; but the question here presents itself, 
" What produces the suspended action of the heart?" 
Why, it is somewhat tauntingly replied, Emotion ! 
Granted ; but how is emotion communicated to the 
heart ? How is a lively feeling of joy, or sorrow, 
or fear, or suspense, or any other passion given to 
the heart? Clearly, only through the medium 
of nerves which communicate everywhere, the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 279 

different sensations of the different and distant 
parts of the animal economy. But these nerves 
are a still earlier link in the chain of causation ; 
nerves originate from, or terminate in, the brain. 
Whether, therefore, emotion is produced from with- 
out or from within, its first impression is made 
upon nervous structure ; when originating from 
without upon one of the senses ; when arising from 
within as a mental emotion, still made upon 
nervous structure, and only capable of manifes- 
tation through the material structure, the brain, 
and therefore, in both cases, cognizable to the 
heart, only through the medium of the brain. 

But if the first effect be produced upon the 
nervous system, and communicated to the heart, 
then the heart's action is arrested or suspended ; 
the supply of blood is cut off from the brain, and 
its function is entirely suspended ; the latter is 
only a reflex action, dependent not upon a primary 
marked action of the heart, but upon a secondary 
influence. Still, if fainting or temporary death 
be produced by a suspension of action of the heart, 
which is only a consequence or result of another 
action commencing in the brain, and communi- 
cated to the heart, it can no longer be said that 
death from emotion is produced by a primary in- 
fluence upon the heart, which influence has been 
shown to be secondary and dependent upon a pri- 
mary affection of the brain. It is one of Bichat's 
favourite dogmas, that the influence of the passions 
is expended upon organic life. If so, the passions 
must have their seat in those organs, or they must 



280 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

not. If the former hypothesis be assumed, facts 
on every side prove the contrary, — show that they 
have a mental origin, and, consequently, that their 
influence upon organic life must be intermediate 
and secondary. And, therefore, if they have not 
their seat in those organs which are affected only 
secondarily, it follows that the whole hypothesis 
fails in its first and fundamental proposition. 

Bichat supports his views by the analogy which 
subsists between fainting, which is the result of 
emotion, and the same state which follows disor- 
ganisation of the heart ; and infers, that as the 
cause of the one is in the heart, so ought also the 
other. No reasoning can be more inconsequential; 
as if an analogous condition of the organ might 
not be the result of different and even of very oppo- 
site causes ; and as if there were not a thousand 
instances to the contrary ; witness the How of tears 
produced by joy and sorrow — of appetite destroyed 
equally by the former as by the latter emotion ; 
of chilliness or peau de poule produced by very 
opposite emotions — all, however, agreeing in the 
one consequence of sending the blood to its citadel. 

Again, Bichat supports his opinion by the asser- 
tion that the distress which instantly precedes faint- 
ing, is felt about the region of the heart, and not 
about the brain. It is extraordinary, that Bichat 
did not perceive how readily this was to be ex- 
plained by the different sensibility of the two 
organs, the one being highly, the other sparingly 
sensitive to lesion ; and that, were not this suffi- 
cient to explain the phenomena, they would still 



OF BODY AND MIND. 281 

be accounted for by the distress occasioned in the 
heart's action from the interrupted supply of 
nervous energy. And, after all, it is completely 
answered by a recurrence to the fact, that the 
heart can receive no notice of the invasion of the 
peculiar affection except through the medium of the 
brain. It is puerile endeavouring to support his 
views by the fact, that the actor in counterfeiting 
death from emotion on the stage always carries his 
hand to his heart, and not to his head, in order to 
express the violence of his sufferings ; as if this 
were not sufficiently explicable by the prejudices of 
education, which speak of the emotions of the heart ; 
by the faculty of imitation, handed down from 
generation to generation ; and by the admitted fact, 
that distress is produced in the heart through the 
intermediate agency of the brain. 

Again, Bichat contends for his peculiar views by 
the frequent occurrence of disease of the heart, in 
individuals who have suffered long from mental 
emotion. There can be no doubt that the distress of 
the organ above alleged to be produced by emotion, 
and the consequent interruption of its functions, 
must tend to produce disease of the heart ; and it is 
a matter of recorded fact, that after any great 
political struggle, or commercial crisis, disease of 
the heart is much more frequent than in times 
when the placid brow of prosperity is not even cor- 
rugated by a wrinkle of anxiety. But the same 
will be said of the other organs of interior life, 
particularly of the stomach, liver, and other abdo- 
minal viscera. Nothing, therefore, is more diffi- 



282 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

cult than to fix this as a peculiar morbid action ; 
whereas nothing is more easy than to explain all 
the mischiefs which arise to interior life from one 
cause, viz. the defective supply of nervous energy 
from that great nervous centre which forms the 
emporium of organic industry, and distributes their 
several power to work to different organs, accord- 
ingly as they may be differently circumstanced. 
And even if this argumentation were to fail, which 
it cannot, still there would remain the unanswer- 
able fact, that under the influence of emotion 
functional disorder and organic disease of the brain 
are more common than similar states of the heart, 
exactly in proportion as we should expect to be 
the consequence of a direct rather than an indirect 
influence upon the organ and its functions. 

Again, the assertion that the cerebral system 
exerts no direct influence upon the circulation, is 
only a proof how far the investigations of science 
may be diverted from truth by the pre-conceptions 
of some favourite theory, to the support of which 
every thing must bend. And, in the present in- 
stance, is not the crimson glow of shame produced 
by an impression of mind upon the circulation ? 
Is not the heart palpitating under the breathless- 
ness of expectation ? Is not its action quickened 
by joy ? rendered slower by grief? until accelerated 
by exhaustion ? and made irregular by the alter- 
nations of hope and fear, of anxiety, and the 
relief of excitement from anticipation, of collapse 
from disappointment, and many other varying 
conditions ? And shall it then be said that emotion 



OF BODY AND MIND. 283 

has no direct influence upon the circulation ? Let 
our only hope and wish be truth ; and we shall 
perceive that a mantle of ingenious sophistry has 
been thrown over this attractive theory. Bichat 
goes on to state, " Break off and annihilate all the 
nervous connexions of the heart with the brain, and 
the circulation still goes on." How has this been 
tried? Can it be tried, and the individual live? 
And if not, is it not just as argumentative to say, 
Break off the connecting links of nervous influence 
from any other vital organ, and its function re- 
mains unimpaired ? Yet is not this egregiously 
untrue ? 

Lastly, Bichat supports his position by one other 
argument equally futile with the rest, viz. that 
where fainting is not produced by emotion, still 
that other disturbances of the heart's action are to 
be found ; and that in all these cases the subject of 
such emotion refers the uneasiness to the heart. 
Now this would have been already sufficiently an- 
swered by what has been before remarked, that the 
heart has no cognisance of these troubles except 
through the medium of the brain. But it is extra- 
ordinary that so great a physiologist should have 
overlooked one almost universal law of morbid 
action, and passion, or sympathy, viz. that the dis- 
order of one organ is perpetually referred to 
another ; and that if the pathologist judged only of 
the seat of disease from the locality to which pain 
is referred, he would every day commit the most 
grievous errors. 



284 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Therefore, we conclude from the foregoing rea- 
soning, that death, when it is produced by power- 
ful emotion, is occasioned either by an action upon 
the brain itself, or through its intermediate agency, 
upon some other organ essential to life ; imme- 
diately, or intermediately, therefore, death from 
mental emotion is produced by the disorder of the 
vital machinery, set up by the failure or the morbid 
action of the brain. 

Death, that is, general death, is, however, as has 
been before stated, produced by the prior death of 
some one organ, more or less important to life, 
which by the arrest of its function interrupts the 
whole. Let us illustrate this position by consider- 
ing the lungs as that portion of the machinery 
which has given way ; and here, again, it will be 
seen how all-important an agent in the animal 
economy is the brain ; and however justly the 
heart may have been said to be the ultimum moriens, 
still it must be confessed that the brain is the 
primum mobile, and that the heart cannot exist 
without the sustained action of that viscus. 

It is well known that the chief function of the 
lungs is respiration, and that this respiration is for 
the purpose of converting the black blood of the 
right side of the heart into the red blood of the left 
side ; and that this process is effected through the 
medium of the air inspired, which parts with its 
oxygen, and receives in exchange the carbonaceous 
matter of the blood ; by which process it becomes 
renovated, again fitted for going the round of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 285 

circulation, and for maintaining that energy and 
harmony of action which are essential to the well- 
being of the individual. 

Suppose, then, this function of the lungs to be 
interfered with, and that either by a defect in its 
own structure, or by the absence of a due supply of 
pure air, this change is not effected, the blood is 
not decarbonized, and black blood is sent to the 
brain ; inasmuch as such blood is unfitted to sup- 
port cerebral action, it becomes at once irregular, 
and soon ceases altogether. It must be recollected 
that every kind of suffocation produces its first mis- 
chievous effect upon the head, from the mere dizzi- 
ness arising from the inhalation of non-respirable 
gases or contaminated atmospherical air, to the 
fully-formed suspended animation of hanging or 
drowning : a condition in which the sufferer is re- 
called from death to life by restoring, it is true, the 
function of respiration. But how ? By inducing 
artificial respiration, and in various ways rousing 
the nervous energy of the muscles of respiration, 
till they will re-assume their action ; so that even 
here it will be seen that the nervous system is the 
great agent through which life is suspended and 
restored ; and it should also be remembered that 
the effect of the transmission of black blood is far 
more prejudicially felt upon the brain than upon 
the heart itself; and, therefore, under such cir- 
cumstances, the function of the former ceases earlier 
than that of the latter. 

But the brain has a wonderful influence upon 
the lungs ! Let there be but a momentary suspen- 



286 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

sion of cerebral action, and the function of the 
lungs is immediately interrupted ; not that the 
direct action of the brain is indispensable to that of 
the lungs, but to the continuance of action of the 
respiratory muscles, which are the chief agents in 
conducting that all-important process. Let it be 
always kept in view, that so soon as the action of 
the brain is even momentarily suspended, so do the 
muscles become paralysed, and breathing is at 
an end. 

Such being the fact, it is a provision of nature's, 
of exquisite beauty, and worthy of the highest ad- 
miration, that these muscles are only partly volun- 
tary : a fact of which any individual may convince 
himself by determining to hold his breath — that is, 
to cause the work of respiration to cease. It is 
well known that this can be done only within cer- 
tain limits, and that after a little while, despite 
every voluntary effort to the contrary, and in oppo- 
sition to the firmest will, the muscles will act, not- 
withstanding every obstacle, and respiration is 
continued. 

The wisdom of this arrangement is still further 
shown by the action of the heart being altogether 
independent of the will—vX least, as a direct agent, 
and under common circumstances, — for it will be 
seen that the history reported by Cheyne of the in- 
dividual who could die when he pleased was extra- 
ordinary ; that this power is not possessed by 
ordinar}^ individuals ; and that even if it were, the 
action is not direct upon the heart, but indirect, 
through a power to suspend or supersede the law of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 287 

nature mentioned in the last paragraph, by which 
respiration is recalled in spite of every effort of the 
will to the contrary ; the exception only proves the 
rule, which is, that the will has no power over the 
heart, and for the wisest of reasons, — that the 
function of the heart does not admit of suspension, 
without imminent danger to the individual. When, 
therefore, death takes place by the action of the 
brain upon the heart, the first link in the chain is, 
interruption of the cerebral function, loss of power, 
and perhaps paralysis of the intercostal and other 
auxiliary respiratory muscles, and diaphragm ; 
cessation of breathing, and of the renovation of the 
blood consequent upon respiration ; then, not only 
are the cavities of the heart gorged with black 
blood, but that viscus itself is supplied with black 
blood, and black blood cannot support its vital 
energy ; consequently, its muscular fibres become 
feeble, and finally incapable of any action. 

It is also possible that the interruption of the 
regular supply of nervous influence transmitted 
to the heart from the brain may have a considerable 
influence in hastening this destructive process ; but 
it should seem that the muscular fibres of the 
heart did not require this influence to excite them 
to action beyond, at least, just so much as may be 
adequate to make them duly sensible of the pre- 
sence of their peculiar stimulus — the blood upon 
which the heart is to contract, and which it is to 
distribute over the entire system. But the heart is 
a centre of nervous sympathy of the first impor- 
tance, and this sympathy can only be kept up by 



288 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

preserving it in close intercourse with the brain. 
Therefore, it is probable that its chief supply of 
nervous influence from the brain is for the purpose 
of fitting it to carry on the important office it holds 
in the moral and social economy of man ; the 
beauty, and value, and intrinsic excellence of this 
arrangement, are beyond the powers of estimation 
of the human intellect. 

All the other functions of the body, — digestion, 
secretion, locomotion, and many others, are de- 
pendent upon the brain generally, though interme- 
diately. The only corollary we would now draw 
from this discussion is, how easily and how con- 
siderably the brain and its higher intellectual and 
mental manifestations may be irritated, interrupted, 
perverted, disturbed, suspended, or destroyed, by 
their distant organic irritations : the value of this 
inference will be seen in a future chapter. 

Death is not the termination of existence — it is 
the suspension of the present order of arrangement, 
and notwithstanding all that infidelity may allege 
to the contrary, it is most unphilosophical and 
unwise to look upon this separation as the gate of 
annihilation ; for even taking up the very inferior 
position of the fate of the material body, the general 
law of nature is, that when the particles of matter, 
which now enter into a certain arrangement con- 
stituting form shall be dissociated, they will un- 
dergo a change which prepares them for entering 
into new forms and combinations. What that 
change may be, it is not for us to say; but 
there is no philosophical reason against the ulti- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 289 

mate re-arrangement of these particles in a combi- 
nation similar to that which has previously 
existed : consequently, death forms no argument 
for the destructibility of mind. 

Mind, as we have seen at an earlier stage of our 
inquiry, is a property imparted to matter, so far as 
regards the greater number of created beings; in 
whom it is to be found according to their intended 
locality, in a greater or less degree of perfection, 
from the earliest traces of a nervous system up to 
the most perfect developement of animal instinct. 
But when the term is employed to represent the 
mental manifestations of another order of created 
beings, — of moral, religious, accountable man, — 
it is then spoken not simply of a property attaching 
to matter, but comprehends a principle superadded 
to animal matter, associated with, but not resulting 
from, a certain order of nervous system ; dependent 
upon it for all its manifestations, but guiding, 
directing, governing, these manifestations according 
to its presiding will. 

Over this spiritual principle death has no power, 
except that of suspending its manifestations : it has 
no essential property in the present arrangement of 
nervous fibres ; and when that arrangement is dis- 
severed, it equally exists in all its integrity, obscured 
indeed for a time, during the interval of change 
from one to another mode of existence, — a change in 
itself not more wonderful than the chrysalis stage 
of the butterfly ; and of the history of which we 
know just as much. Who would conjecture that the 
chrysalis had life, till it was touched ; and who, 

u 



290 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

independently of experience, would believe that 
the same chrysalis would in a few days, or weeks, 
or months, appear as a most beautiful moth ? 
The death of the caterpillar was no annihilation ; 
it was only a suspension of existence, and a prepa- 
ration for entering into new forms and more beau- 
teous combinations. Just so, but a fortiori, the 
only change upon mind in death, is the suspension 
of its actions ; it is not even pretended that its par- 
ticles are dissevered ; and though we know not the 
change which has passed upon it, or the nature of 
its mode of existence during the suspension of 
its connexion with the body, yet we have the best 
reasons for knowing that it is not destroyed, and 
for believing that, in some way or other, to us un- 
known, the consciousness of its existence is con- 
tinued ; and that that existence is productive of 
happiness, or of discomfort to itself, according to 
the moral position it shall have occupied on earth ; 
according as it shall have yielded its noble powers 
to become the slave of animal organisation, or as it 
shall have claimed for itself the supremacy, and by 
the help of God shall have governed the animal 
propensities, and submitted them to the great end 
of existence, the glory of God and the good of 

MAN. 

The phenomena of death, therefore, afford no 
argument to the materialist for the destructibility 
of mind ; much less to the moral philosopher, who 
does not close his eyes to the existence of a spiritual 
principle superadded to matter, associated with it 
for a time, as the vehicle of communication with 



OF BODY AND MIND. 291 

external nature ; and still less to the Christian philo- 
sopher, who looks to the page of Revelation, to 
carry on his views beyond what reason can impart ; 
and who cheerfully receives what is written for his 
instruction, willingly acknowledging, that there 
are many things both in nature and in art, which 
he cannot explain ; and rejoicingly yielding his 
assent to revealed truths, though they are beyond 
his reasoning powers, and revealed for this very 
reason, that they are beyond the powers of finite 
minds to discover or to understand ; in which, though 
beyond his comprehension, he finds nothing opposed 
to reason, but, on the contrary, presenting, as 
far as his eye can see, the same analogies of 
nature around him, with the phenomena of which 
he is more largely, though still imperfectly ac- 
quainted. 

Thus, then, though the disorder of death has in- 
vaded the goodly proportions of the animal frame ; 
though it has riven asunder its most intimate con- 
nexions ; though it has extinguished the lamp of 
intellect, and suspended all the manifestations of 
mind ; though the material tabernacle once 
tenanted by the immaterial spirit is lying in ruins, 
and presents no traces of its former self,— yet that 
spirit exists ; there it is ready, and awaiting the 
time appointed for its final change of being, to 
enter into those forms and combinations which shall 
be appointed. Of that time, and of those forms, we 
know nothing ; but we believe that it will assuredly 
come ; and that the change will be one infinitely 
glorious and happy, extending all the powers of 

u 2 



292 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

intellect and feeling, expanding the affections in a 
region of perfect purity, where there shall be per- 
fect knowledge and perfect happiness. 

It has been asserted that the gradual decay of 
mental power, and its renovation, form an argu- 
ment for its future existence. But this is not the 
case ; it is dependent upon one of the laws of living- 
matter; it is, in fact, a change of the manifesting 
organ, and not of the function manifested, or of the 
presiding spirit which gives laws to that function* 
The brain is undergoing perpetual alteration, but 
the same mental phenomena continue ; the same 
order of temperament, and the same consciousness 
of identity exist, and give laws to the individual 
character, and constitute it the same person, however 
it may have been changed by circumstances — how- 
ever it may have lost its elasticity by time — however 
the angular points and asperities of early character 
may have been worn down by contact, and some- 
times collision with his fellow-men ; and still 
further, however much it may have been modified 
by impression, exalted by circumstances, or per- 
verted by disease. Notwithstanding all these causes 
and many others which act upon the brain, still 
that organ continues the medium of mental phe- 
nomena, just in the same manner as the liver con- 
tinues to secrete similar bile, though every particle 
of the secreting organ may have been changed 
many times over. 

The inference we would draw from these consi- 
derations is, that if this be the case, the present life 
should be a constant preparation for such a state 



OF BODY AND MIND. 293 

of being ; and that there should be a perpetual 
subjugation of matter to mind, and of mind to moral 
motive ; that there should be a perpetual keeping 
under of the body, and the constant education of all 
that is valuable, and praiseworthy, and good in man, 
in order that he may grow in everything, that his 
life may be a perpetual exemplification of the prin- 
ciple of progression, which has been so largely 
insisted upon in a former part of this volume. 



294 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



CHAPTER VII. 



ON THE MENTAL PROPERTIES : THEIR HEALTHFUL 
TENDENCIES, AND DISORDERED INFLUENCE. 

In the progress of our inquiry into the reciprocal 
influence of body and mind upon each other, it is 
necessary to enlarge a little on the healthy mani- 
festations of mind, where all is harmony, and 
beauty, and comfort ; and to show in what way these 
manifestations are to be distinguished from the 
mental phenomena of the lower animals, in whom 
many of the same properties are to be found, but 
who want the superadded spiritual principle which 
belongs to man in the order of God's creation, and 
which constitutes him only a little lower than the 
angels. It is necessary for us to inquire into 
both these points, that we may the better un- 
derstand and appreciate what are the morbid ma- 
nifestations to be hereafter considered, and wherein 
they differ from the defective manifestations of 
animals. 

In the subsequent observations, it should always 



OF BODY AND MIND. 295 

be recollected, that according to the author's belief, 
the manifestations of animal mind are purely 
cerebral; while those of man are the offspring of a 
superadded spiritual principle, characterised, in- 
deed, aye, even modified, and sometimes perverted, 
by the cerebral medium through which they pass ; 
by its original affinities, by its education, by its 
state of health and disorder, whether permanent 
or temporary, and by all the other agents which 
promote or undermine the health and comfort of 
the body ; yet, nevertheless, so as that the spiritual 
principle be held supreme, and that it be the 
directrix of the will, the responsible moi, which 
is to give an account of all the deeds done in the 
body. 

The great characteristic difference between the 
two is, in the presence of thought in the one, and 
its absence in the other ; thought being an attribute 
of that superadded spiritual principle, which aspires 
after immortality ; and which, in so doing, 
stretches out into infinitude ; brings near and ap- 
propriates the revealed realities of an unseen future 
world ; reconciles man to his present lot, by the 
prospects of futurity ; compares things present with 
things to come ; anticipates and prepares for 
coming joy or sorrow ; and identifies man, not 
only with all times, all places, all people, but with 
that which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath it entered into the heart of man to 
conceive. 

But do not brutes think ? We fearlessly answer, 
No. An antagonist may ask, what then is the sum 



296 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of their mental manifestations ? Our reply will be 
briefly this : It is allowed that they perceive impres- 
sions made upon the senses ; that they recollect 
these impressions, or, at least, that they are capa- 
ble of being revived by circumstances connected 
with the original impressions ; and that there 
appears to be a kind of reasoning upon these cir- 
cumstances, a reasoning which results in intelligent 
action. The power of anticipation has been denied 
to brutes, and with considerable justice ; for it is 
clear, that they do not anticipate coming events, 
at least, by a process of reflective reasoning. Yet 
there is species of forethought or prescience about 
them — doubtless from impressions made upon their 
more acute senses, which escape ours, and w T hich leads 
them to prepare for certain approaching evils, as 
to seek shelter from the coming storm, to migrate 
on the approach of winter to a climate better 
suited to their habits and necessities, and to pre- 
pare for the reception of their young. Yet in all 
these circumstances, and many others, it will be 
seen on examination, that the action depends upon 
imparted knowledge or instinct, not upon originated 
knowledge or reason. 

To exemplify this offspring of animal intelli- 
gence, take, for instance, the horse, an animal 
which in his domesticated state at least is very 
liable to the impressions of fear. He is scared 
to-day by some object which produces in him 
apprehension, and the desire to avoid it, which he 
does by starting out of the way, to the no small 
annoyance of an unaccustomed rider, who in a 



OF BODY AND MIND. 297 

moment of thoughtlessness and irritation freety 
applies the whip ; and for this indiscretion he will 
suffer perhaps for months, for on the following 
day, when the animal has to pass the same object, 
there is the original impression of fear, aggravated 
by the recollection of the chastisement he had 
received the day before ; and it will be long 
before this remembrance will be superseded by 
kind treatment. Here, then, is the impression of 
fear, the recollection of suffering, the expectation 
of both evils, and the desire to fly from them. 
But this is not reason ; for if it were he would 
have inferred that the chastisement was given for 
starting, and however unjustly given, he w 7 ould 
have endeavoured to overcome his apprehension, 
and not bv increased fear have incurred the risk 
of more chastisement ; and, moreover, he w r ould 
have discovered that the subsequent kind treat- 
ment was to supersede his fearfulness, and to it he 
should have at once responded. Here, then, is the 
great difference between instinct and reason, 

But we have heard of an instance of recollected 
impression which looks still more like reasoning. 
A restive animal would not pass a certain spot, 
for no apparent cause but that he would not. His 
owner determined upon the following method of 
curing him. He sent his groom to the spot, with 
directions to keep the animal there for twenty- 
four hours. On approaching it, he showed the 
usual vicious determinativeness not to proceed. 
The groom quietly rode him to the spot, and kept 
him there. After a time, he began to give symp- 



298 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

toms of uneasiness, and of a wish to proceed. 
But no ! the groom obeyed orders ; no corn, no 
hay, no water, no stable, no nice clean bed to rest 
upon, nothing but the constant monotony of main- 
taining his position, employing only one set of 
muscles, and sustaining the unvarying and mono- 
tonous load of the groom's weight upon his back. 
When the twenty-four hours were accomplished, 
he was taken home, and ever afterwards was cured 
of the disposition to restiveness ; and hence it is 
inferred that he reasoned that the indulgence of 
his evil temper had procured him so much incon- 
venience that he had better not indulge it 
again. But it is clear that the simple recollection 
of the discipline would be quite enough to induce 
him to pass the spot without his former restive- 
ness; that is, there would be instinctive, but not 
inferential action ; action the result of instinct, but 
not the consequence of reason. 

None can doubt the superior accuracy and extent 
of information derived to brutes from their senses, 
over the more gifted animal man ; and none can 
doubt his superiority, evinced as it is by his 
position in society, and by his supremacy over all 
the inferior animals. Nor is this reconcileable to 
the facts, to the history of the creation, or to the 
wisdom and goodness of the Creator, except by the 
simple truth of the perfection of brute sense and 
instinct, or imparted knowledge, to supply the 
place of that acquired knowledge or reason which 
man possesses, and which renders unnecessary for 
his conservation that superiority of notice from the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 299 

senses which is possessed by the inferior animals. 
This, again, is exemplified in savage life, where 
there is little developement of reason, and where 
the senses are infinitely more acute than in a 
more advanced stage of civilization. Here, there- 
fore, again, we conclude that brutes do not 
reason. 

It appears, then, that the memory of the inferior 
animals consists not in mental recollection, but in 
the renewal of some earlier impression upon the 
organs of sense, which is perceived by the brain, 
and awakens into action certain other nervous 
fibres, which have been stimulated beforehand into 
associated movement ; and that this awakening 
leads to an instinctive act of volition, which for a 
moment looks like consideration, reflection, reason- 
ing, result, but which is, in fact, purely sensorial. 
Then, also, the excellence of their senses, and the in- 
stinct, which belong to their conservation, and which 
are so strongly marked throughout the whole of 
nature's domain, will abundantly explain all that 
looks like the anticipation of a spiritual principle ; 
a principle which they do not possess, a principle 
which is superadded to man, because he is a moral 
and accountable creature, and which we are told 
by Revelation (as it also commends itself to our 
reason and philosophy) is in itself both immaterial 
and immortal. 

Thus, then, we are prepared to understand a 
grand distinction between the thought of man 
and other animals, viz. that the former originates 
or possesses intuitive thought, which the other 



300 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

does not. It is not pretended that man has any 
other sources of obtaining information except 
through his senses ; but the point of difference is 
this, that the inferior animal perceives the know- 
ledge communicated through the senses, and 
instinctively acts upon it ; while man equally, 
though not so accurately or extensively, receives 
his information through the senses ; but then he 
digests, elaborates, and appropriates that informa- 
tion ; he lays it up for future use ; he reflects upon 
it; he associates and compares it with other no- 
tices previously received ; he rectifies former mis- 
takes, or discovers new modes of appropriation ; 
he weighs the goodness of things in the balance of 
reason and conscience ; he looks forward to the 
bearings of certain actions, to their future conse- 
quences upon himself and others; he divests him- 
self of selfish propensities in active benevolence to 
mankind ; and, above all, he considers what is the 
supreme will of the Governor of the universe, and 
what will redound most to the glory of his Maker; 
and then he comes to a judgment, an intelligent, 
moral, and religious result, which has arisen 
within himself, from the actings of the spiritual 
principle, and from its power of ascertaining the 
present and future relations of things ; in a word, 
from intuitive thought. 

This thought is liable to disorder, another im- 
portant distinction between the mental manifes- 
tations of man, and those even of the superior 
animals. We believe that their mental properties 
are perfect in themselves, that is, adequate to the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 301 

end proposed ; and we have no reason for believing 
that, during their waking moments, these are 
liable to any material alteration. The brain con- 
tinues its action; the amount of knowledge re- 
mains the same ; and the mental phenomena 
present the same phases, except as use and expe- 
rience give a greater facility of employment to the 
faculties, in the application of their imparted 
knowledge. 

But man is liable to perpetual disorder in the 
manifestations of mind ; any disturbance of the 
spirit will irritate the brain, and render it unfit for 
the full and perfect performance of its function ; 
and every little bodily ailment will equally prevent 
it from being the willing servant of the immaterial 
principle within. A certain degree of cloudiness, 
or dimness of thought, creeps over the subject of 
these lesser ailments — he often knows not why ; 
there is an inaptitude for mental exertions ; a tor- 
pifying stupidity grows upon him ; he thinks with 
effort, and without result ; and in this very impos- 
sibility of continuing the activity of thought, the 
greatest foe to literary activity, sleep, finds its en- 
trance. The student rouses himself from its 
withering influence, throws aside his books, and 
thinks he will write. But, no ! not an idea is 
forthcoming ; and after some vain attempts to 
originate, his enemy claims the victory, and the 
majesty of mind lies prostrate beneath the tyranny 
of, perhaps, some very little derangement, yet 
enough to overturn the harmony and integrity of 
the brain's action. And why is all this ? but that 



302 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the finer machinery necessary for carrying on the 
higher functions of intellectual existence is more 
easily thrown from its equilibrium than those 
grosser particles which belong to animal nature 
only ? Why is it, but that in proportion to its 
complication, a greater variety of causes act upon 
it ? Why is it, but that in the one instance, nature 
has done every thing she could to perfect the 
a nimal organisation ; and that on the other, there is 
a superadded principle, originally perfect in its 
kind, but upon which a perverting change has 
passed, so as to render it liable to a thousand ills, 
both bodily and mental, from which spring all the 
varieties of morbid manifestation. We do not 
purpose to trace the operation of these causes into 
the deepening shades of insanity and the cheer- 
lessness of imbecility, through many stages of 
mental suffering and bodily disturbance ; it is 
enough for our present purpose to show that the 
one is more liable to disorder than the other, and 
that the creature upon which the greatest pains 
have been bestowed, nature's highest and most 
perfect work, is in this respect less perfect than 
the inferior animal tribes, — a conclusion which is 
not to be understood, if the position of man and 
other animals be the same ; only that man is more 
-perfect, which ought to render him less liable to 
imperfection ; but which is perfectly explicable upon 
the assumption of his compounded nature, and of 
his possessing a spiritual principle over and above 
the cerebral intelligence of his perfect neighbours. 
But we pass on to notice the hypothesis of Sir 



OF BODY AND MIND. 303 

Charles Morgan, with regard to " relative sensi- 
bility" — terms which he employs to denote the 
keystone of his reasoning, and as opening a way to 
the explication of mental phenomena. As far as it 
is permitted to understand his hypothesis, it ap- 
pears to be a material offset, from that utilitarian 
theory, by which every thing exists, according to a 
certain ideal fitness ; and is, in fact, the result of 
an undefined and powerful principle, which links 
together all kinds of phenomena, and produces 
them by that species of action and re- action which 
arises from certain ill-understood affinities between 
certain ill-defined particles; but which, placed 
within a certain sphere of action, produce effects, 
how or why it is not sought to explain, but simply 
because there are such particles, such affinities, 
and such a sphere of attraction and repulsion. 

Here, sensibility, or the power of feeling, is taken 
up as the connecting link in the phenomena of 
animal organisation, action, and passion, and is 
employed in the room of that moral or physical 
fitness of things which we have just mentioned ; and 
the term relative explains the relation of the func- 
tion to its organ, and of organ to function, in the 
scale of animated being, in reference to immediate 
circumstances, and to the end purposed to be ac- 
complished. This attempt involves the explication 
of all mental phenomena, upon the relative sensi- 
bility of organic life ; and looks no higher than to 
a certain developement of tissue, leading to a pecu- 
liar, though confessedly an undefined result. 
As in almost every other error, there is also in this 



304 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

a certain admixture of truth, which, to the fond eye 
of the author, veiled his hypothesis with that cha- 
racter, and was sufficient to make it pass for truth 
with the prejudiced or the careless; with those who 
look out for support to preconceived notions, as 
with those who will be contented to receive an 
agreeable explication, without the trouble of asking 
whether it is vraisemblable. 

It is quite true that there is a most perfect 
adaptation of organ and function to their relative 
position in animal life ; that the organisation is ad- 
mirably adapted to the habits and instincts, wants 
and actions, of the animal ; that throughout crea- 
tion there will be found a law of exquisite fitness in 
organic machinery, to fulfil all the apparent duties 
of the animal ; and that order and harmony reign 
throughout the wide domain of animated nature, 
in such way that each animal is perfect, occupies its 
peculiar locale, and does not interfere with the 
actions of any other, except in so far as the univer- 
sal principle of conservation renders it necessary 
for one animal to live upon another. 

But the great question is, whether this results 
from a primordial law of a Great First Cause, or 
from a certain subordinate physical agent, termed 
" relative sensibility ," distributed to different ani- 
mals, in exact proportion to the wants of their 
organisation, and the necessities of their vital 
position ; and being resident in a tissue, whose 
developement in the various species is regulated by 
the sphere cf activity necessary to their PRESER- 
VATION, Now, it is granted that this is true 



OF BODY AND MIND. 305 

with regard to the power of locomotion, but the 
great question is, how far this is dependent upon 
" relatives ensibility" ; and even if so, how far the 
principle can be adopted as a universal law, to 
explain the general movements of the animal 
economy. It may be allowed that the power of 
locomotion is dependent upon the will, and that 
the desire and the will to move are also de- 
pendent upon a certain state of cerebral organisa- 
tion ; and, therefore, upon a certain degree of rela- 
tive fitness between the organ appointed to move 
the muscles, and the muscles themselves, as well as 
the thing to be moved by this process. The latter is 
an indispensable link in the chain of relation ; and 
if the hypothesis of relative sensibility is to explain 
all the phenomena, the thing to be moved must 
also possess some portion of the same quality. But 
it may be incapable of sensibility : therefore the 
relationship may exist without the sensibility ; 
consequently, sensibility may be a mere adjunct, 
and though very agreeable, by no means necessary 
to explain the power of locomotion. 

Admitting, however, for the sake of argument, 
the necessity for this hypothesis to account for the 
phenomena of locomotion, and its power of explain- 
ing those phenomena, we next inquire how far it 
can be adopted as a general principle of explication 
for other bodily and mental phenomena. That 
there exists some connexion between the perception 
of an impression made upon the senses, and the 
thought which arises from it, or the act of volition 
which is its consequence, we are free to allow ; and 

x 



306 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

also that there is a connexion between organ and 
function ; and in the absence of a better term, we 
would not even object to that of illative sensibility. 
But we deny the proposition, if it be intended to 
assert that this is a necessary connexion ; and that 
the individual upon whom the impression is made, 
may not, perceiving that impression, choose whe- 
ther he will attend to it or not, — whether he will 
allow its influence as a motive to action or not, — 
and whether, admitting its influence, he will allow 
himself to become subjected to its tyranny. In 
fact, on this point turns the whole of the contro- 
versy ; if the hypothesis be admitted in its full 
extent, man is not accountable for his actions; but 
is, what he is constituted by the relative sensibility 
of the cerebral tissues, and the sensorial tissue upon 
which the impression is first made, — the creature 
of impulse and animal propensity ; but not the 
intellectual, moral, spiritual being, which we see 
him to be, and believe him to be. 

Facts are directly at variance with this supposed 
method of explaining human opinion or conduct ; 
for in the best-regulated minds we see action pro- 
duced, not according to the cerebral movement, 
which has arisen from the excited sensibility- of one 
of the senses, or of some organ in direct relation 
with its tissue ; but, on the contrary, we see reason, 
judgment, moral and religious sanction, relative 
and social ties, and many other of the better parts 
of our compounded nature, exert their influence to 
oppose the propensity thus induced ; we see these 
motives triumph over the voice of passion, and the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 30? 

moral, spiritual nature gain a victory over the 
animal ; the agency of self-denial places the indi- 
vidual above the reach of his organic suggestions ; 
and he stands forth a monument of the wisdom of 
the Creator, and of that goodness which sustains 
his creature through the intricacies of moral proba- 
tion, and enables him to act according to his will ; 
for it must never be forgotten that man is frail and 
feeble : he cannot will or act without the power 
being imparted to him ; but that power will only 
be vouchsafed so long as he wills and earnestly 
strives to act. 

What, then, becomes of this hypothesis of " re- 
lative sensibility V — one which is capable of ex- 
plaining a very small series of phenomena, in a 
way agreeable, perchance, to those who would have 
it so, but unphilosophical, contrary to reason, and 
to fact. It is, however, asserted by its promulgator, 
that " if the link between organisation and func- 
tion, in this instance, escape from observation, it is 
a most vicious and feeble conclusion to suppose 
that it does not exist." We fully admit this con- 
clusion ; no one can fathom the link (for instance) 
which exists between the actual impinging of cer- 
tain rays of light upon the expanded optic nerve, 
and the formation of a picture of that object by 
the brain ; yet none but a rash or unprincipled 
disputant would disallow its existence. But it is 
extraordinary, that so acute a reasoner should not 
have perceived that it is equally an absurd and 
vicious conclusion to infer, that there does not exist 
an intelligent and immaterial spirit presiding over 

x 2 



308 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

this organisation, because we cannot trace the link 
which connects matter with spirit, or the mode of 
communication which influences both in a mutual 
re-agency. It is admitted that a mysterious inex- 
plicable connexion exists between the sentient 
extremity of nerves, and the common centre of 
nervous influence in all animals : why, then, can 
it be reasonably denied, that in the higher animal 
man, there may be a still finer organisation, — a 
spiritual being, upon which the higher manifes- 
tations are dependent, and to which are referred 
those organic movements, which in the lower 
animals terminate in the brain, and in the produc- 
tion of automatic, or intuitive, or locomotive, or 
sensual action. According to Sir Charles Morgan's 
reasoning, it were absurd to deny this conclusion — 
one, too, which is supported by the wisdom and 
experience of all ages. 

Now to adopt this mode of argumentation, and 
this conclusion, is not " to suppose that the cerebral 
tissue exists without any precise and definite func- 
tion ; and that is wholly supererogatory in the 
economy. It is, on the contrary, to assign it its 
first place in the animal economy ; not to attribute 
to its fibres powers to which they can have no re- 
lation ; nor to invest it with a function, towards 
which it can have no defined affinity ; nor to assert, 
that it is wholly supererogatory. It is, on the con- 
trary, to say that the brain is the organ of mind ; 
that its function is to receive and to convey to the 
spiritual mind, the notices derived through the 
senses from the exterior ; and to transmit, in return, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 309 

the creations of spiritual mind to that exterior 
existence, in and through which social man is to 
be found fully developed. The brain, is in fact, 
the medium of communication with the interior 
spirit, but it is not spirit itself; the impressions 
received do not rest solely upon the cerebral tissue, 
but are conveyed to the thinking principle within, 
and, after due elaboration, are again transmitted 
exteriorly. It is as the several varieties of the 
senses ; they receive ; they transmit ; the} 7 attach ; 
they disperse ; they reflect ; they refract ; they 
converge, and otherwise diffuse the rays of light, 
but they are not light itself. It is as the telescope, 
the medium of communication with far distant 
objects, but not the objects themselves. It is as 
the microscope, the means of developing life, and 
power, and activity, and beauty, where ordinary- 
sense was unconscious of its existence ; but it is not 
the thing itself which it conveys. It is, in fact, 
the servant of mind, fulfilling the highest possible 
function in life, communicating with the highest 
order of intelligence, and placing man in a due 
relation to the noble past, and the mighty future ; 
yet being always in itself subordinate, and in a 
healthy condition, yielding a ready and cheerful 
obedience to the majesty of mind. But surely, 
then, it is most unphilosophical and untrue to as- 
sert that with such a position in the animal economy, 
it has no definite function, and that it is wholly 
supererogatory in that economy ! What organ, 
may we ask, has assigned to it a more defined 
place — more certain in its object — less assailable 



310 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

by disease? So far from being wholly supereroga- 
tory, it is shown by the proposition, that no one 
thing in body or mind can be done without its 
intervention ; all that is contended for, is, that it 
is the servant of mind ! Not that mental pheno- 
mena are created by, and terminate in, certain 
movements of its tissue, which would be just equal 
to saying, that the air which wafted the feather on 
its zephyr breath, or levelled in its fury the mo- 
narch of the forest, was created by, originated in, 
and received its power and function in each in- 
stance from the thing which being acted upon, 
— evinced the existence and the power, the setherial 
mildness, and the uncontrollable violence of the 
agent. Thus, then, it should seem, that so far 
from disparaging the organ, or undervaluing its 
function in the animal economy, we ennoble its 
destiny ; since, far from tracing its termination 
to a few dark years of brief existence in the present 
state, we ally it with futurity, and place it in its 
due relation to a never-ending immortality. 

But it is alleged, that in " different subjects, 
almost every part of the brain has been found in 
a state of disorganising malady, without any deter- 
minate corresponding derangement in the mental 
functions." Granted: but what does it prove? 
Not, surely, that brain is mind, for if so, how is the 
function carried on, when the agent is disorganised ? 
Whereas, if the brain be the mere medium of com- 
munication, this is perfectly possible, and we have 
only to admire the conservative efforts of nature, 
by which, under such apparently difficult circum- 



OF BODY AND MIND. oil 

stances, she contrives to carry on her operations 
without any material interruption ; so that, if the 
fact of the brain carrying on its function under 
the influence of disorganisation be of any value, 
it is so to those only who look upon this organ, 
not as an end, but as a material means for an im- 
material purpose. 

Besides, the very remarkable fact, that the brain, 
although the centre of sensibility, is not in itself 
generally very sensitive to morbid action, and that 
it will bear large injury, and much slow disorgani- 
sation, without great suffering, is another reason 
why these slowly destructive changes are not much 
felt, and another proof of its being a medium of 
communication between external matter and in- 
terior mind. 

Again, it is said, not only is the brain liable 
to disorganisation, but also to several varieties of 
natural appearance ; it is more or less dense — more 
or less watery and soft ; and yet these persons have 
exhibited no marked difference in mental manifes- 
tation, and have shown no symptoms of insanity ; 
while after death in insane persons no alteration 
of structure has been perceived or detected. Now 
all this may be perfectly true, but there are in- 
superable difficulties in the way of the establish- 
ment of this truth. In the first place, we know 
not, as regards our own eye, w T hat kind of fibre 
is best calculated to carry on the cerebral functions ; 
consequently, we have no standard by which to 
compare the most perfect structure. 

Secondly, for the same reason, the minute traces 



312 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of altered structure would escape observation ; and 
very considerable deviations from the normal state 
might occur without discovery. 

Thirdly, alteration of function by no means con- 
stantly involves alteration of structure ; on the 
contrary, the former generally precedes the latter, 
and oftentimes all its traces pass away at death, 
and are no longer discoverable, particularly in 
regard to the brain, of whose ultimate structure we 
know so little : and, 

Fourthly, little deviations from healthy function 
do not fix our attention ; an individual may be odd, 
eccentric, passionate, of a violent temper, haughty, 
perverse, given to frequent change, fond of some 
peculiar hobby to excess, (who, indeed, is not?) 
singular and selfish ; and yet all these conditions 
may attach to the function, without any corre- 
sponding structural derangement, with which, under 
the circumstances given, we can be acquainted. 

And the tendency of this argumentation is to 
show, that, however the cerebral tissue may be 
employed as the organ of mind or the medium of 
mental communication, it is not the originating 
cause of mental operations. 

Again, it has been observed, " that inquiries 
pursued beyond organisation, terminate only in the 
wildest conjecture and the most contradictory pro- 
positions ; while the reduction of intellectual action 
to the same laws as those which govern other 
organic phenomena, affords a positive and satis- 
factory base for moral and metaphysical investiga- 
tion." It is allowed, that this is a mysterious 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



313 



subject, and must ever remain such, so long as we 
are ignorant of the nature of the ultimate cerebral 
fibril, and equally ignorant of the connexion 
which subsists between mind and matter. We 
deny the proposition, however, that any inquiry 
pursued beyond organisation must terminate in wild 
conjecture ; we believe not, if pursued modestly, 
calmly, candidly, with a desire to investigate, and 
not to make every fact bend to a preconceived 
theory. But we ask, are not the difficulties as great, 
as insurmountable in the way of him who termi- 
nates his inquiries with organisation f We speak 
not now of the lower or of the instinctive actions 
of the brain, but of the elaboration of thought, and 
reasoning, and judgment, and conscience, and of 
the higher intellectual and moral attributes of man, 
in his state of social and civilized privilege. How- 
is thought elaborated ? Is it by a process of diges- 
tion, or secretion, or vascular movement, or attri- 
tion of original fibres, or fifty other suppositions, 
of which each one is as good as its predecessor; 
and better, till it has been disproved ? Is the 
action of the brain chemical, mechanical, vital ? 
If the latter, wherein does it consist ? In what 
consists the repose of the brain, which is so neces- 
sary to its well-being ? What constitutes its morbid 
sympathies ? Why is its action enlivened by tea, 
or annihilated by opium ? Why is its greatest 
brilliance oftentimes connected with feeble general 
health ? or with a peculiar frailty of the organ 
itself? No psychological conjectures can bewilder 
than must be the answers to this string of questions. 



314 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

But, if so, inquiries pursued beyond organisation 
are not chimerical, inasmuch as we are not here 
more surrounded by ignorance than in searching 
out the hidden causes and changes of organic life ; 
and inasmuch as we may hope, at some future 
day, to throw back the boundaries of knowledge 
to a greater extent than at present, and to become 
acquainted with some of its unexplored territory. 
If the opposing principle were acted upon, there 
would be an end to physiological inquiry, inasmuch 
as the study of the laws of function would be ar- 
rested. Here is the liver, and there is the kidney; 
both are supplied with nerves and blood-vessels ; 
and each has some kind of resemblance to the 
other. Yet the function of each is dissimilar, and 
this difference is in all probability dependent upon 
the nerves with which they are supplied. But 
the organisation of these nerves appears to be of 
the same character ; and if we go farther back — if 
we trace their fibres and consider them as ultimately 
terminating in the brain, or primarily originating 
from it, we have in either case to inquire a step 
further than apparent organisation, when we observe 
homogeneous fibrils executing so great a variety 
of function ; and it is absurd to say, that we should 
not inquire into these functions, and seek to com- 
prehend their agencies. 

But, perhaps, it will be said, that inquiries into 
function are included in what is understood by 
investigation into organisation. We are quite con- 
tent to admit this ; all we ask is, to study the 
functions of the brain ; and seeing that these func- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 315 

tions are complex, not to stop short and consider 
the history and effects of one function only, which 
regulates organic life ; but to let our researches 
extend to that higher function, which portrays the 
intellectual and spiritual nature ; which displays 
man, not only as an animal, but as a moral and 
responsible being ; and which places him in his own 
order of creation above the animals, because he pos- 
sesses a rational soul, which should govern and 
direct the body, and whose commands are con- 
veyed by its servant the brain. We ask not to 
carry back these researches into the nature of 
mind ; it is clear that we cannot comprehend it ; 
neither do we seek to explain the essence of that 
great creating First Cause, which arranged the 
laws that preserve nature in her present order. 
These things are above our comprehension ; let us, 
then, investigate as far as possible the function of 
the brain, and the actual connexion between mind 
and matter. To say that such investigations are 
futile, is simply equal to saying, that astronomy, 
or the laws which regulate the universe, (and our 
earth is a part of that universe,) should not be 
studied, because geology brings us acquainted with 
its interior structure or organisation. 

This is still further exemplified, by considering 
another startling proposition of Sir Charles Mor- 
gan's ; viz. that thought consists in movements, and 
is, therefore, obedient to the laws of motion ; and 
that this truth is demonstrated by the fact, that time 
is necessary for its developement. 

In reply to this dogma, we assert, 



316 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

First, that thought does not consist in move- 
ments. 

Secondly, that it is not obedient to the laws of 
motion ; and, 

Thirdly, that the fact of time being necessary 
for its accomplishment is no evidence of the alleged 
truth of thought consisting in movements. 

First, thought does not consist in organic movements : 
and this only is intended by the term in the above 
proposition, since, if movements require time for 
their accomplishment it must be because they traverse 
space. Let any unprejudiced and learned person, 
look at the brain, closely packed as it is within 
its osseous covering, and still more closely invested 
by its membranes ; and let him ask of what kind 
of movements it can be susceptible ; and then let him 
consider, if the most visionary psychologist ever 
propounded a wilder hypothesis — an hypothesis 
which seems, indeed, to have been the organic off- 
spring of Hartley's vibrations and vibratiuncles. 

The rapidity of thought, so great as to exceed 
all possible calculation ; a property, too, by which 
it readily stretches out into the infinite future, and 
comprehends all that is known of the past history 
of the world, and combines with these its moral 
relations to the Creator ; and mans own agency 
in this great spiritual pageant are inconceivable upon 
the principle of organic movements, . in advance 
and retrogradation, and laterally at the same in- 
stant of time. 

Still further, if thought consist in organic move- 
ments, it follows, that there must be a moving 



OF BODY AND MIND. 317 

power — a something to originate these movements; 
and this something, whatever it may be, would 
continue its impulsive power until arrested by some 
centripetal force, which would again repel the 
movements back to that situation, in which they 
first received their centrifugal impetus. Now what 
is this something ? By the proposition, it follows, 
that it must be a something organic ; but if so, it 
is capable of demonstration ; and what again, we 
fearlessly ask, what is the organic power which 
presides behind the cerebral tissue, and gives it its 
movements 1 If it be said that this resides in a 
still finer tissue, not demonstrable to our material 
senses, we again fearlessly ask, what sets in motion 
this still finer tissue ? But we accept all this rea- 
soning from our opponent, as evidence that there 
is behind the cerebral tissue a moving power — not, 
however, consisting of organic fibres, but of the 
spiritual being to which the brain is placed in sub- 
jection, and which communicates to that brain all 
the intellectual and moral power which it possesses, 
and its life-giving energy to every part of the in- 
tellectual, moral, and social character. 

Hence it follows, that thought is not obedient 
to the laws of motion. The astronomer may cal- 
culate the movements of the heavenly bodies, though 
so distant from our vision ; but who can calculate 
the movements of thought, with all its thousand 
associations, any one of which may break the 
original chain, and give new shape, and figure, 
and direction to its former bias. The engineer 
will tell us how much time and labour will be 



318 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

necessary to remove a certain natural obstacle, 
in the way of the accomplishment of one of proud 
man's favourite schemes, almost to annihilate time 
and space ; but who can calculate the mental labour 
which may be necessary to arrive at a given result, 
by labourers who differ so much in every part of 
their material and spiritual nature. The mathe- 
matician may acquaint himself with the laws of 
motion in direct, and curved, and parabolic lines ; 
but is there any known law which accelerates or 
retards the agency of thought, according to the 
squares of its distances from the originally pro- 
pelling cause, and which will enable us to calculate 
even an approximation to the amount of time re- 
quired by such movements? There is none who 
can attempt this thing; and, if not, what becomes 
of the organic movement hypothesis ? 

Thirdly, the fact of time being required for the 
accomplishment of thought is no evidence of its con- 
sisting in movements. It may be, that we know 
not wherein it consists, and that the connexion 
between the organ brain— its function, thought, 
and its cause the immaterial spirit, is obscure, and 
even unknown ; but this affords no evidence in 
favour of an hypothesis which explains nothing, 
however agreeable it may have been to the fancy 
of its inventor. Thus, in order to the elaboration 
of thought, there must be a perception of certain 
relations of things ; there must be a comparison 
of these relations ; there must be reflection upon 
them ; there must be an adjustment of their dif- 
ferences ; there must be a judgment arising out 



OF BODY AND MIND. 319 

of a review of all these elements. But are dis- 
tinct perception, comparison, reflection, judgment, 
or properties of matter, to be produced by organic 
movements ? Rather, are they not all mental phe- 
nomena, carried on, indeed, by the brain, as its 
instrument, but set in motion by the immaterial 
mind ? And are there not then more difficulties, 
more unphilosophical requirements, necessary for 
the solution of these organic movements, than for 
the far simpler and juster theory of governing mind, 
directing the obedient cerebral organisation ? The 
mental phenomena of themselves require time for 
their several processes, and, if so, it is monstrous 
to infer that thought consists in organic movements. 

There are a few observations to be made in this 
place relative to the senses, which will be important 
in other stages of our inquiry ; and of these we 
notice, 

First, the remarkable fact, that the developement 
of the senses is generally to be found in an inverse 
proportion to the developement of intelligence ; 
that their state of greatest perfectness is, perhaps, 
to be found in the higher order of animals without 
reason, and that their relative importance is far 
greater in savage than in civilized life ; that is, that 
they are most perfect, where the acts and resources 
of society are least understood — where the boun- 
daries of knowledge are most limited— where there 
is the least amount of reasoning power, or, as we 
should say, where the animal predominates over 
the spiritual nature. 

But, since it is admitted by all, that we only 



320 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

increase our knowledge or add to our stores of 
acquired information through the medium of the 
senses, it would be curious to ascertain why these 
are strongest where reason is weakest; or why 
they should be feeble in inverse proportion to the 
degree in which they are exercised ; a fact which 
seems opposed to the general law of nature ; by 
which exercise gives the power of habit, and in- 
duces facilities of action, which, but for this, would 
be wholly wanting. This fact appears so para- 
doxical, that it is really necessary to seek a solu- 
tion of the difficulty, especially as we are anxious 
to make clear the distinction between animal and 
spiritual life ; and there is one of nature's laws 
which seems to reconcile this apparent discrepancy. 
It cannot be questioned, that the perfection of the 
senses is greatest in animal life ; next in savage 
life ; and is least where the amount of acquired 
knowledge is greatest : and yet that the senses are 
the only means for acquiring knowledge, the only 
inlet to information, the only source of mental de- 
velopement, and the most prominent and decided 
part of the cerebral tissue. A little consideration 
of the circumstances, will afford a solution of this 
difficulty. In the first place, with regard to the 
higher orders of non-reasoning animals, or of those 
which L have to trust for their conservation to the 
amount of imparted knowledge — or instinct given 
them by Nature, or Providence, or by the God of 
Nature and Providence ; for where we speak of 
Nature, we always intend to go back to the 
Great First Cause. Since then the animal de- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 321 

pends for his conservation upon his imparted know- 
ledge, and has no other means of awakening that 
knowledge, except by a stimulus applied through 
the medium of the senses, it was necessary that all 
the information acquired should be concentrated 
so as to bear upon these instincts ; and therefore 
the function of the simple brain of animals consists 
in receiving notices from the exterior through the 
senses, which awaken the conservative instincts, 
and prompt to conservative action. 

But where there is a more complicated creature ; 
where reason is added to instinct ; where a spiri- 
tual soul, with its moral and religious responsibi- 
lities, is appended to a more perfect organisation ; 
where the knowledge acquired by the senses, does 
not merely awaken instincts, but refers those in- 
stincts to reason, and places them under moral 
guidance and government ; where there is a 
power to choose the good, and to refuse the evil ; 
where the information obtained is digested, re- 
flected upon, elaborated, and reproduced in new 
forms of moral and intellectual combination ; where 
the mind of man is carried backward to its high 
original, and forward to its future destiny ; and, 
finally, where the creature so placed, possesses a 
revelation from the Great First Cause, giving him 
rules of conduct, and fully setting before him his 
moral and religious position in life, it becomes 
necessary that the mental developements should 
be in accordance with these high destinies, and that 
the spiritual should preponderate over the animal 
nature. 



322 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Hence the instincts of man are few and feeble, 
and were originally intended to be wholly subject 
to his better part. How fearfully the contrary has 
been the case ! How has he fallen from his high 
original ! How awfully is he carried away by his 
passions, from the gracious design of Him, who 
pronounced him " very good." The origin of this 
wretchedness may be mysterious : the fact is un- 
questioned, and is one of the deepest mournfulness. 
But at present we have nothing to do with this sub- 
ject beyond mentioning its existence ; our business 
is now to account for the seeming discrepancy 
which we have seen to originate in man's constitu- 
tion, and to be required by his situation. 

But if so, it will be allowed, that it was a first 
ordonnance of nature, that the spiritual should pre- 
dominate over the animal life. In conformity with 
this primordial law, that portion of the brain (if 
such there be) which was allotted to the higher 
social and moral functions, must be employed, edu- 
cated, developed ; or equally, if any new function 
devolved upon the more perfect brain of man as a 
whole, it would still require to be exercised, in 
order to be developed. Further, according to 
another law of nature's, the function would be 
more perfect, in proportion to the amount of its 
healthy employment ; and this amount of healthy 
employment will again be regulated by the degree 
of nervous energy imparted ; and will be more com- 
plete in proportion to its concentration and cen- 
tralization ; and will be less if more divided, and 
less concentrated. Power is always lost by the 



OF BODY AND MIND, 323 

minuteness of subdivision of the parts upon which it 
acts ; and it is another of Nature's laws, that the 
brain can only produce a certain amount of nervous 
energy ; and that the intensity of this amount is 
diminished in proportion as it is distributed ; so 
that if one organ or function receives more than 
its due allowance, others receive less, and are en- 
feebled by the abstraction of their required quota. 
So with regard to the original constitution of man, 
the senses are less perfect, because the entire quan- 
tity of nervous energy is no longer expended upon 
them, is no longer devoted to organic life, but is 
shared with it, for the purposes of intellectual and 
spiritual life. All difficulty, all paradox vanishes 
before this explanation ; the wisdom of God is un- 
attainted ; the beautiful processes of nature are 
vindicated ; and man again stands forth in his 
complicated harmony of animal and spiritual 
being ; of his present and his future existence ; 
whereas, on the mere supposition of his possessing 
a more perfect animal organisation, than his almost 
compeers of horses and dogs, there would be no 
reasonable explanation of so remarkable a pheno- 
menon. Thus, as we proceed, the wisdom and the 
goodness of God alike stand prominently and 
boldly exhibited by the situation of His highest 
creature, man ! 

We have already remarked, that the brain, 
although the centre of sensation, is not itself sen- 
sitive, at least in the degree which might be cal- 
culated upon. Another curious property of this 
organ and its dependent functions is, that although 

y 2 



324 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the senses are the only inlet to real knowledge 
from without, yet that mental phenomena are not 
alway discoverable through their instrumentality. 
It is very important to remark this, because it 
proves the subordinate agency of the senses ; they 
may be employed in the service of mind, but they 
are not capable of watching over the operations of 
mind, or of contravening its intention. The senses 
may be directed, governed, controlled by mind ; but 
they have no power of themselves to direct, to 
govern, to control. Hence the senses and mind are 
not upon an equality ; they do not exert parallel 
influences, but mind is paramount ; one more most 
important distinction from the inferior animals, 
all whose actions are governed by reports from the 
senses. 

It is not contrary to the arrangements of nature, 
that subtle action and great power may co-exist 
without the cognizance of the senses ; on the con- 
trary, it seems to be one of her constant principles, 
that the most important actions of life are per- 
formed without any consciousness of such action, 
until it becomes morbid, and is carried on in 
excess, or defect, or is perverted : then comes 
a point of consciousness ; but then disease has 
commenced. The wisdom of this arrangement is at 
once perceptible ; were it not so, man would be 
constantly w T atching over his functions, to which he 
does not now direct his attention, till they become 
disordered — that is, as soon as they require his 
especial care. 

Take, for an example of this unperceived agency, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 325 

the action of the atmosphere. We do not perceive its 
pressure, yet it is very considerable, and by it our 
bodies are sustained erect, the circulation of the 
blood is carried on, our houses are upheld, the 
material fabric of the earth is preserved from crum- 
bling into one vast ruin. The air is invisible, we 
cannot see it ; it is intangible, we cannot control 
its movements ; it is inodorous when pure ; its dry- 
ness and its moisture vary greatly, and yet we do 
not perceive it, except in extreme cases ; we hear 
the sounds which it conveys, but we do not discover 
the vibrations which communicate those sounds ; 
and yet, notwithstanding the want of perceptible 
agency in all these cases, the air does actually supply 
the lungs, and support respiration, calorification, 
and innervation ; it supports combustion ; it diffuses 
odours ; it gives rain ; it wafts ships ; it supports 
the flight of birds, and preserves man and his sub- 
sidiary arrangements from total destruction. So 
the brain, unperceived, presides over all the func- 
tions of the body : and the spiritual mind pre- 
sides over and directs all the functions of the 
brain. 

The questions, what is sensation ? how and 
where is it produced ? and how transmitted ? are 
so many points which have formed rallying places 
for the rival votaries of different systems. With- 
out enlarging upon these debateable grounds, I 
shall content myself with stating very briefly 
the agency of these great sentinels and servants 
employed for the defence and conservation of the 
citadel of the mind. 



326 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Thus the impression of exterior ohjects affects 
the senses, their nerves, the brain, the mind. The 
senses receive impressions ; the nerves transmit 
them ; the brain perceives them : and voluntary or 
instinctive action is the regular sequence in animal 
life. In man we go one step further ; the sensa- 
tion produced in the brain is taken up by that 
organ ; its activities are developed ; the mind is 
called into exercise ; that reflects, combines, com- 
pares, abstracts, and finally obtains and employs 
results ; it determines and wills ; transmits its 
notices to the several organs of the body, which 
now execute its behests. 

There is a remarkable difference between the 
functions of sensation, and those of interior life, 
in the degree of exactitude of the one, and easy 
mobility of the other. With a certain number of 
exceptions, arising from disorder, during which 
sensation is perverted, and its reports are not to be 
relied upon, there is in general a great degree of 
regularity and constancy in their action ; so that 
while the functions of the heart, the stomach, the 
lungs, are altered by a thousand different causes, 
and oftentimes of apparently a very slight influ- 
ence, the sensorial function remains very much the 
same, pursues the even tenor of its way, and is 
not liable to perpetual changes ; changes which 
could almost threaten the continuance of personal 
identity. It is not contended that healthful sen- 
sation is not liable to the inroads of disorder, that 
it is not often perverted, or that it is not subject 
to the modifying influence of many morbid causes ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 327 

only, that it is not equally liable to change, and 
that, too, upon the slightest possible occasion. 
Thus a powerful impression made upon the ner- 
vous system will quicken the action of the heart — 
will suspend that of the stomach — will prevent the 
secretion of bile — will increase some other secre- 
tions — will annihilate that of the saliva, and will 
produce many other great and important changes 
in the animal economy ; while a similar or ana- 
logous influence will only give rise to a slight 
modification of sensation. 

Were it not so ; if, for instance, the perception, 
the memory, the imagination, the judgment, and 
the will, were liable to all the mutations of organic 
life, and that upon the slightest change of feeling, 
what would be the result ? The confidence of man 
in his fellow-man, little as it now is, would be 
entirely subverted, and he would have no reliance 
upon himself; his consciousness of identity would 
be obscured by his perpetual vacillations ; his 
opinions, now sufficiently variable, would then have 
no resting place, but would be subjected to every 
vital, social, and ephemeral change ; and he would 
become the sport of a thousand opposing impulses 
or movements — perpetually carried about by the 
winds of changing feeling, or tossed on the waves 
of contending passions ; now debased to the level 
of the brutes, and giving unlimited range to the 
animal propensities, or seeking to soar above his 
own level, and give, rather than receive, laws from 
Nature; now allied to the highest intelligence, or 
debased even below the range of animal desire, 



328 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

because there is in him all that is simply brutal in 
the animal, in connexion with all the vicious power 
of man's understanding. 

Time, and frequent impression, or the repeated 
exercise of sensation, has a very large influence in 
diminishing its acuteness and intensity ; while, on 
the contrary, it augments its accuracy. In early 
life, perception is more vivid, and emotion more 
intense; but by degrees the former is rendered 
more dull, and the latter is decreased. In conse- 
quence of this change, adult man is more himself 
as a reasoning creature ; he has more power to 
judge, to deliberate, to form a correct estimate, to 
arrive at more satisfactory decisions ; so that in 
Nature's wisdom, that which takes away from the 
acuteness of feeling, adds to the range of intellect 
and action ; and that which pares down the over- 
flowings of the heart, and keeps them within 
bounds, augments the power of usefulness, and at 
the same time adds to the will to do good for its 
own sake. Man, who by the early impressions of 
feeling upon a sanguine and a nervous tempera- 
ment, has been carried away into an ideal region 
of fairy land, is slowly brought back to himself and 
his true position in society, by the quiet operation 
of this noiseless, constant agent, through impres- 
sions frequently renewed, yet always diminishing 
in the amount of sensation produced, till the 
sphere of his judgment is enlarged, and he is 
prepared for his final disenchantment from the 
influence of sense. The period of feebleness, dur- 
ing which the brain exhibits its perpetuity of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 329 

change and vacillation in extreme old age, is an 
exception to the rule, does not often happen, and 
when it does occur, is only from Nature's compact 
being extended over a larger period of time than 
was intended, and therefore is not now to be taken 
into the account. 

It has been a question which has occasioned a 
great deal of discussion between contending parties, 
as to where sensation resided, i. e. whether in the 
organ which first received the impression, the 
result of which was sensation, or whether in the 
brain, or in some other portion of the system, to 
which the intelligence of this notice was conveyed. 
The importance of deciding this question has been 
much overrated ; since, after all, it is not of much 
consequence whether the impression made upon 
the organ of sense produces there sensation, which 
sensation is immediately conveyed to the common 
centre the brain, in order that it may be still 
further transmitted to the spiritual being within, 
for whose knowledge and guidance the impression 
has been made, and this sensation has been pro- 
duced and transmitted ; or whether the impression 
has been made upon the organ of sense, that organ 
having no power to distinguish, and so the impres- 
sion has been continuously carried backwards to 
the common centre ; the attention of the brain has 
been awakened ; it perceives that an impression 
has been made ; it defines and distinguishes its 
nature, and then appropriates and employs the 
knowledge thus obtained. It must be clear that 
in either case the result is the same ; an impression 



330 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

is made upon a certain portion of the nervous 
system ; this is perceived by the brain directly or 
indirectly, and is conveyed to the sentient principle 
within, which issues its notices accordingly. It is 
a point, therefore, which may be safely left to 
future agitators to determine, though it must be 
confessed that there seems no occasion for any 
other than the simple theory, that the impression 
is made upon the organ of sense, is perceived by 
the brain, and referred to the spiritual mind. 

Thus, were it not for the percipient and secern- 
ing influence exerted by the brain, the eye would 
not see, nor the ear hear, nor the tongue distin- 
guish tastes, &c, unless these were referred to 
some other common and distinguishing centre ; 
and even then the results would terminate in 
instinctive or automatic life ; in the excitement 
and gratification of certain appetites and passions ; 
and in the effort of locomotion, as connected with 
such gratification ; unless these notices were con- 
veyed to the interior and presiding mind, which 
acts upon them as a rational and intelligent being, 
conformable to its high destinies, except some per- 
verting moral cause shall have driven mind from 
its proper centre, in the great God and Father 
of all. 

There is here a mutual dependence which it is 
right to notice ; the impressions made upon the 
senses will terminate in no corresponding rational, 
intelligent, moral results, unless they be conveyed 
to the inner man ; while, on the contrary, that 
inner man, deprived of the notices conveyed to it 



OF BODY AND MIND. 331 

by the senses, would be shut out from information 
and intelligence, would remain a chaos and a 
blank, over which the deepest night of ignorance 
and brutality would brood, neither awakened by 
intelligence, nor animated by emotion, nor moved 
by moral desire ; in fact, it would be shut out 
from the pale of intelligent and spiritual life ; it 
would be as in idiocy, a case not produced by the 
absence of mind, but by the inaptitude of the brain 
to transmit its manifestations. 

An objection has been started against this trans- 
mission, that the process being to be effected 
through such a variety of crossings, and net- work, 
and interlacings, there cannot fail to be such an 
interruption of notices, such jostlings of intelli- 
gence to be communicated from various depart- 
ments of the animal economy, that inextricable 
confusion must be the consequence, so that no 
defined information will be obtained. As if the 
works of omnipotence and omniscience could be 
traced by the twilight ray of man's feeble intel- 
lect ; or as if the pathway of the fountain of light 
and life could be discovered during the all but 
night of man's darkling way ; and as if this were 
the only example in nature of complicated though 
simple action, — complicated to us, because we can- 
not understand it, — but simple to Him who has 
appointed all things according to his boundless 
wisdom and knowledge ! 

Reasoning apart, the one simple fact of the infi- 
nite number of rays of light which are given off 
from luminous bodies in every possible direction, 



332 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and always, be it remembered, traversing space in 
right lines, and which must, therefore, intersect 
each other in every conceivable point ; and that 
this interlacing, to an inconceivable extent, is 
effected, not only without confusion, but, on the 
contrary, producing an effect of the most perfect 
harmony ; this one simple fact is a sufficient evi- 
dence of the easy transmission of nervous commu- 
nication through every part of the animal economy, 
and a sufficient refutation of the objection which has 
been started against this arrangement. 

The argument is thus summed up : — the objec- 
tor says, it is inconceivable that the different 
notices of the body can be conveyed through the 
medium of the nerves, with their infinite variety of 
crossings, and interlacings, and plexus, and 
ganglia, forming so many different centres, from 
which are given off fresh channels of nervous 
energy. The defender replies, Here is no diffi- 
culty, for rays of light traverse immensity in every 
possible direction without the slightest inconve- 
nience. Yet the rays of light, or, at any rate, the 
medium through which they pass, are undoubtedly 
material. How much less, then, is the difficulty, 
with the notices of nervous influence which are not 
material, or which, if material, are of a nature so 
infinitely more subtle as to have escaped the de- 
monstration of their materiality by the grosser ex- 
periments which are applicable to light and heat ; 
therefore there is no difficulty in receiving the 
opinion, that the material brain is influenced and 
governed by an immaterial agent, that agent being, 



OF EODY AND MIND. 



333 



in the case of man, his own spiritual essence, the 
immaterial soul. 

We must just remark in this place, one or two 
circumstances with regard to the perception of im- 
pressions. It has been asserted, that perception 
does not reside in the brain, and is a function which 
does not arise from its peculiar structure, because 
reptiles and other animals of the inferior classes 
" exhibit unequivocal marks of perception and 
volition long after they have been decollated." 
It is very important to mark the distinction which 
exists between muscular motion, arising from the 
irritation of nervous fibre, and that which depends 
on the excitement of the same nerves in obedience 
to the will ; the former is a morbid, the latter only 
is a physiological action. Besides, in inquiries of 
this kind, it should ever be recollected, that the 
nerves of voluntary motion are dependent chiefly 
upon the spinal brain ; and that, although they are 
in communication with the intellectual brain, their 
origin is from the spinal marrow, and are only 
so far dependent upon the brain, as to be its obe- 
dient servants ; hence, no argument drawn from 
their function, as attached to organic life, can be 
fairly applicable to intellectual life. 

It is well known, that the muscles may be ex- 
cited to action by the galvanic aura in the lower 
animals, some time after they have been decapi- 
tated ; but it is also known how small a propor- 
tion of their nervous system belongs to the ence- 
phalic brain, how large, that which is spinal; and, 
although the fact of the production of muscular 



334 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

movements is unquestionable, yet it is boldly 
denied that these can, in any degree, be surmised 
to attach to volition. As well might it be said, 
that the muscular twitchings which we see in the 
butcher's shop many hours after the animal has 
been killed and disembowelled, are dependent upon 
volition. As well might it be said, that the mus- 
cular movements which have been produced in 
man by galvanic irritation, (see Dr. Ure's experi- 
ments,) and which have been made to simulate 
a variety of living expressions, as the fist clenched 
in anger, the leg projected in rage, the countenance 
distorted with passion, were the effect of volition. 
As well might it be said, that in those cases of 
paralysis of the lower limbs, arising from injury to 
the spine, in which there remained no power to 
move these limbs, no sort of voluntary control over 
them, yet in which the skin was so exquisitely 
sensitive that the patient could not suffer it to be 
touched, and in which violent involuntary motions 
of the lower limbs frequently took place, were also 
dependent on the will ! A remarkable instance 
of this kind lately occurred to the author, and, 
amongst other arguments, helped to convince him 
of the absurdity of those who refer these move- 
ments to volition, and seek to take away from the 
importance of the brain, as being the chief organ 
of perception. The fact is, that in all these instances 
the perception of the impression is only apparent ; 
it is not asserted that there is no perception in the 
organ primarily impressed ; but if there be, it is 
originally derived from the brain ; and the per- 



OF BODY AND MIND, 



335 



ception as to any of the purposes of life, is imperfect 
till it has been referred to the brain, the centre of 
the nervous system, and the great laboratory of 
mind. 

Now when any object has been noticed by the 
percipient, it is either passed by, as having no in- 
terest in itself, or possessing no relative interest to the 
individual, or at least not enough to be cognisable ; 
or it awakes attention, and developes that kind of 
interest, which ensures for it a greater amount of 
inquiry ; it becomes an object for scrutiny : if it 
be material, an acquaintance is sought with all its 
forms, and connexions, and relative powers ; if it 
be moral, an inquiry is instituted as to its prin- 
ciples, their relative bearing, their influence upon 
feeling, affection, action ; how far they are calcu- 
lated to do good, and how far they may be abused ; 
how far they should be fostered or repressed ; how 
far they are consistent with the moralities of our 
nature; and what are their bearings upon the 
great family of man, and upon the grand code of 
Christian ethics to which we refer every part of 
human action and passion. Then, indeed, man not 
only sees and hears, but attends, looks, listens, ex- 
amines, compares, selects, judges, and determines ; 
in fact, all his higher functions are aroused, and 
his intimate alliance with immortality becomes 
manifest. 

And whence this interest, this choice, this selec- 
tion, this preference of good, this dislike of evil, this 
abnegation of self, this keeping under the animal in 
order to exalt the spiritual being ? Whence, in- 



336 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

deed, is it but from that primordial law, which 
subjugates the body to the higher spiritual prin- 
ciple, places it under control, and renders it duly 
subservient? This is the original constitution of 
man ; this is the design of the Creator, for him who 
was created " in his own image ;" this is the legiti- 
mate influence of mind upon body ; and for the 
exercise of this influence each individual is minutely 
responsible. That this perfect state is not now to 
be found ; that disorder has been thrown into the 
manifestations of mind ; that the first link in the 
chain should have been broken or perverted — sub- 
jected to error, prejudice, hallucination ; that at- 
tention should so soon flag from fatigue, or be 
diverted from its proper object ; that so little in- 
terest should be taken in what is right; that 
passion should usurp the place of reason ; that the 
judgment should be so erroneous — the will so 
vacillating, the determination so feeble — so easily 
turned aside from the path of rectitude — so little 
to be relied upon for perseverance ; and generally, 
that the man should exhibit so feebly the linea- 
ments of the Christian, is much to be regretted. 
While we inquire into the causes of these things, 
we shall find that some physical conditions will, 
in part, explain them ; and that any and every 
form of disordered bodily health will disturb mental 
function ; yet we shall equally find much which 
it is impossible to account for upon this principle ; 
and which we can only explain by taking up the 
scriptural account, that man has fallen from ori- 
ginal righteousness, and that, in consequence, he 



OF BODY AND MIND. 337 

has become more nearly allied with the unhappy 
spirits, than as he was originally intended to be, 
" a little loiuer than the angels." 

But we must pass on, to notice briefly a few 
other of the phenomena of mind, and first of con- 
science. 

Conscience is a principle, the power of which 
is felt and acknowledged by all, and which pe- 
culiarly distinguishes the rational from the animal 
creation. Where there is no responsibility, there 
can be no room for conscience, which is universally 
in man as an involuntary judge of right and wrong ; 
which will often prevent action, or the indulgence 
of thought, by its monitions ; and which will pass 
sentence upon conduct, almost before there has 
been time to review it. Conscience may be more 
or less enlightened and sensitive, according to the 
amount of knowledge possessed by individuals, 
and according to the moral culture it may have 
received ; or it may in some instances be rendered 
fastidious by over-much care ; or it may be blunted 
by want of attention ; it may be scrupulous over 
things trifling or indifferent, while it may be om- 
nivorous over barriers of real importance; it may 
be superstitious over appearances, while it may be 
regardless of principles; it may most unjustly 
suffuse the countenance of innocence with the 
crimson hue of shame, where no cause for shame 
exists, and where the suspicion of its possibility has 
been the only source of its production ; while, in 
other instances of seared moral sense, it will turn 
the brow of unattainted defiance to the world, as a 

z 



338 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

covering to a secret history of heartlessness and 
crime. Yet in all these cases of ignorance, of defi- 
cient information, of perversion, or of crime, it is 
still conscience— still the principle originally good, 
but perverted to error, and imperfect from the na- 
tural imperfections of fallen man. 

Existing, however, always in proportion to the 
light of knowledge, and the influence of truth ; 
and being, therefore, in very different shades and 
degrees, it is still conscience. But it is a faculty 
very liable to be turned aside by physical disorder ; 
it is one which insanity often distorts, and which 
the minor disturbances of the body very frequently 
pervert, by producing a degree of fearfulness and 
hesitation, which render man uncertain in his 
opinions, changeful in his judgment, and vacillating 
in action : he becomes doubtful upon trifles ; he 
magnifies their importance ; he wishes to do right, 
but cannot discover what is right ; when he thinks 
he has attained to a just judgment, he is turned 
aside by some veriest straw in the scale of moral 
action ; he becomes the slave of superstitious ob- 
servances ; he is always desirous of propitiating the 
goodwill of his neighbours, and of deprecating 
the wrath of the Almighty ; yet he seeks to accom- 
plish this object, not by the firmness and fearless- 
ness of right, but by seeking to please others ; and 
in so doing, is sure to make shipwreck of principle, 
and of a good conscience. 

The frequent failure thus produced will occasion 
remorse ; and this again will give rise to a very 
unfavourable and depressing influence upon the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 339 

powers of life ; for, unlike repentance, there is no- 
thing to soften down or alleviate the pang of re- 
morse, which is only the sting of guilt unatoned, of 
passion uncontrolled, of obliquity uncorrected. Now 
it will often happen, and that, too, dependent upon 
a peculiar state of the nervous system, that remorse 
occupies the proper seat of repentance ; that whereas 
the former should only exist, as the result of wilful 
transgression still persisted in, or, at least, not re- 
pented of, nor sorrowed after, nor forgiven, it is 
often to be found in the heart which has been 
broken down under a sense of its transgressions, 
in which contrition flourishes as a wholesome 
growth, and the past has been deeply sorrowed 
for, and the future is entered upon, in the fullest 
intention to think right and to do right, in the 
strength of Him, in whose strength alone things 
remain as they are, and by whom, equally, man's 
life is sustained, and his good resolutions are helped 
forward towards their completion. It is impossible 
to conceive a more deplorable condition than that 
constituted by remorse, — its unalleviated hopeless- 
ness — its entire destitution of aught to rest upon — 
its complete abandonment of all that throws a 
cheering ray upon futurity — its undermining in- 
fluence upon the several functions of the body, and 
their reflex action in beclouding the mental vision, 
and adding the barb of despondency to the tor- 
turing arrow of reflection, which places the sufferer 
in a state of physical abandonment to which the 
light of divine truth scarcely reaches. 

It must be recollected, that conscience is a very 

z 2 



340 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

important mental manifestation for good as well as 
for evil ; indeed, the power which its exercise has 
upon the pliysique, and the reciprocal influence 
exerted by the latter upon the former, prove the 
depth and extent of its manifestations in man's 
compound nature. Natural religion may be said 
to take its origin from this principle ; the know- 
ledge of right and wrong; the consciousness of 
self- approbation ; when governed by the former, and 
of self-reproach when acting under the influence of 
the latter ; the choice, the voluntary choice of good 
or evil, which is implied in the consciousness of 
their existence, and the necessary following after 
the one or the other ; — all show that there is in the 
human bosom, a knowledge of good and evil, a 
power of choosing or refusing ; and the consequence 
of reward or punishment, according as that choice 
shall have been directed aright, or shall have been 
warped and perverted from its original destiny. And 
this constitutes natural religion ; for in these ideas are 
involved that of a moral Governor of the universe, 
who dispenses justice, and rewards or punishes 
according as the actions of man shall have been 
good or bad ; not, indeed, according to their ap- 
pearance, but according to the motives from which 
they spring in the human bosom, whether from a 
desire to please God, or to gratify self; or, in other 
words, from love to God, and benevolence to man, 
or from a disregard of both. To conclude in the 
words of an accomplished author, " II n'y a que 
l'homme malade ou corrompu, qui puisse mecon- 
naitre cette emotion inexplicable, mais positive — 



OF BODY AND MJND. 341 

cette instinct pur et celeste — cette science ainee 
qui nous distingue si bien des animaux, cette raison 
par excellence, qui luit sur toutes les actions des 
hommes, qui rassure 1'innocent, qui agite le cou- 
pable. C'est le juge qu'on ne petit fuire ; c'est 
la loi inflexible, dont on ne peut eviter les regards, 
Dieu, et les hommes pardonnent; la conscience ne 
pardonne pas."' # It is this latter property which 
occasions its tremendous power over the animal 
economy. 

Intimately connected with the power of con- 
science, is the habit of reflection ; that property of 
the human mind, by which the interior life exists, 
and without which man is but the creature of im- 
pression and of impulse; of causes impressing from 
without, perceived by the senses, and referred to 
the brain, as the common centre of action and 
passion. But in order to reflection, the notices 
received from exterior life are laid up in store- 
houses; the accumulated wisdom of past ages and 
of personal experience, is placed there in readiness 
for employment. Man soon learns from his failures, 
that he must not act from impression ; consequently, 
when the forms of thought, and modes of action, 
are presented to his judgment, the mind is intro- 
verted ; it falls back upon its own resources; it 
reflects, — that is, it bends its thoughts backwards, to- 
wards those materials for decision which it pos- 
sesses ; and from this reflected decision should pro- 
ceed promptitude and energy of action. Without 
reflection, man thinks inadequately and acts iii- 
* Alibert sur les Passions; tome i. p. 65. &c. 



342 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

considerately. But there are morbid states of this 
process ; man may become too reflective a character ; 
his associations with exterior life may be broken 
up ; he may be lost in his own thoughtfulness; be- 
come deaf to the impressions of exterior life, from 
which his knowledge is to be derived ; and while 
occupied with his reflections, he may allow the time 
for action to pass by. The contemplative cha- 
racter, and, with a still deeper shade, the pensive, 
are morbid states of reflection, and as such are to 
be avoided. It must not be forgotten, that man 
has an active duty to fulfil ; and while he will be a 
very weak and a very mischievous character if he 
act without reflection, he will not be less so, if the 
period for action, the light and life of energy and 
exertion, be shrouded in the vapoury atmosphere of 
absolution. 

A very necessary aid to reflection, and indispen- 
sable to its success, is memory. It is obvious that, 
without the stores accumulated by the latter, the 
former would be abortive, because it would possess 
no materials whereon to work ; there could be no 
efficient association, no comparison, no firm judg- 
ment ; action must be the result of impulse or of 
prejudice ; and the influence of reason would be ex- 
tinguished. 

What then is memory ? We are well aware 
that it is mainly dependent upon attention ; but it 
does not consist simply in a certain exercise of this 
faculty ; for, first, the memory will often be found 
defective, where the attention bestowed has been 
very great ; and, next, it will often be spontaneous, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 343 

and a vivid recollection of persons, or things, or 
circumstances, will be presented to the mind, inde- 
pendent of any traceable association ; as well as of 
events, which at the moment passed almost un- 
heeded, and produced no sensible impression. For 
the same reason, it is not the result of association, 
though oftentimes aided by it, and apparently de- 
pendent upon it. 

Is this memory entirely a mental operation ? Is 
it wholly spiritual — an attribute of the immaterial 
mind, or simply a phenomenon of cerebral activity ? 
That it is not wholly mental, is shown by its inde- 
pendence of the will, by its existence during sleep, 
and by its being to be found very perfectly in 
animals. There is, however, this marked difference : 
apparently, in animals, memory is only to be 
awakened bv association, and does not lead to 
reflection, or to reflective action. In both these 
instances, therefore, it is probably dependent upon 
the same cause ; and in both cases is the result of 
a degree of irritation of certain nervous fibriles, 
which have received an original impression ; and 
which are subsequently aroused to their original 
sensation, by any cause which again irritates these 
fibres. The difference is this, — that whereas in both, 
memory is excited from the same cause ; in the 
simple animal it terminates in reproducing the 
original impression, and in the renewal of that im- 
pulsive action which was its immediate conse- 
quence ; in man, it leads to trains of reasoning and 
reflection, and to a multitude of mental actions, 
which vary in proportion to the mental calibre, 



344 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and to the moral as well as intellectual grade, 
which is sustained by the individual. 

Memory, in man, may be increased or diminished 
in power ; it may be augmented by education and 
cultivation ; it may be decreased by neglect ; it 
may be perverted or annihilated by disease ; and it 
may be subjected to several forms of partial loss, 
which are very tormenting to their subject, and 
which should be sedulously guarded against. It 
has several times occurred to the author, to notice 
an originally good memory become feeble and 
worthless from the influence of morbid action in the 
brain. Sometimes, it has been permanently in- 
jured ; at others, it has been slowly recovered when 
the morbid cerebral action has ceased. The term 
slowly is used advisedly, because all changes in the 
structure of nervous fibre occur very slowly and 
almost imperceptibly ; for, however rapidly the 
function of the brain may be carried on, it is 
certain that its structural changes are of the slowest 
character ; still disordered memory possesses a 
power of resuscitation which is great, and which 
often becomes firm and durable. 

In investigating the causes of this loss of memory 
from physical disorder, it will be seen that the 
power of attention is first attainted ; and this will, 
of course, entirely account for the impaired recol- 
lection of immediate or recent impressions ; but it 
will be found that the loss of memory and attention, 
are not correspondent, co-incident, and co-equal, 
which proves that the one is not precisely consecu- 
tive to the other. And, also, it is to be remarked, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 345 

that the loss of memory extends to things which 
had formerly made a lively impression, which had 
been attended to, and had been accurately remem- 
bered up to a certain period, viz. that of the inva- 
sion of physical disorder. It is, therefore, cerebral 
disorder which introduces this overthrow of the in- 
tellectual function. 

It is very important to notice this fact, because, as 
a symptom, it will often lead to the detection of 
that incipient cerebral malady, which might other- 
wise have escaped notice ; and, also, because many 
excellent persons annoy themselves, (and by this 
very annoyance increase their maladies,) by disco- 
vering this defect in the memory ; and still more, by 
frequently ascribing it to a moral cause, to defective 
interest in objects of the highest pursuit ; and thus 
blame themselves as incurring moral guilt, for 
what is, palpably and plainly, 'physical infir- 
mity. 

On this ground, we shall just notice two or three 
of the forms in which this incipient loss of memory 
is to be discovered. First, its earliest trace is 
visible in a diminished power of abstraction; its 
subject feels that he has not the power of directing 
and fixing the attention, to any subject which in- 
volves a train of argument, or consecutive reason- 
ing, even although that reasoning shall attach to 
the exact sciences, and be aided by a diagram, or a 
tangible model ; and, of course, much more where 
it is to be fixed upon abstruse reasoning and 
abstract science. Even in common and ordinary 
reading, the patient will have to read, and read 



346 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

again, and not be one jot the wiser, or in the least 
degree imbued with the spirit of his author: and 
this, not, as often happens, from the mind being pre- 
occupied, and the thoughts directed elsewhere, as 
occasionally in the healthiest individual, but from 
the power of directing the attention being absolutely 
lost. 

Absence so called, is a very common cause of 
forgetfulness, during which state, although the 
impression upon the brain is perceived, and would 
be acknowledged if inquired after at the time, yet 
is not sufficiently distinct and powerful to ensure 
remembrance. This may be a mental condition, 
in which either the impression is feeble, or the per- 
ception is inaccurate, or the attention is not awak- 
ened, or the mind is pre-occupied ; in all which 
cases oblivion will be produced: but it is also 
frequently a physical condition of the brain, in 
which it is not fitted to receive a sufficiently 
powerful impression to ensure remembrance. This 
may be the consequence of various cerebral diseases ; 
or it may result only from functional disorder, 
sensorial torpor. It is at all times a formidable 
symptom ; not that it may not exist sometimes 
innocuously, but that it is the frequent companion 
of disorganisation ; and then the fact of its existing 
sometimes without injury, only renders the symptom 
more formidable, from the danger of neglecting the 
more important connexion with incipient disease, 
under the delusive hope that it may not exist ; 
and this apprehension is increased by the fact, that 
if the loss of sensorial energy be not remedied, its 



OF BODY AND MIND. 347 

shade is always deepening, though perhaps unper- 
ceived, till by-and-bye the melancholy truth is 
revealed, by the patient being reduced to a most 
pitiable state of helplessness and misery. Let then 
timely warning be taken from the first discovery of 
any kind of unwonted forgetfulness. 

Sometimes an impression is made upon the 
organ of sense, but perception does not follow. 
The eye sees, the ear hears, the other senses are 
legitimately aroused, but the impressions are in- 
distinctly perceived, if perceived at all, and fre- 
quently stimulate the brain erroneously, so as to 
produce hallucinations, and many other forms of 
cerebral disorder ; and oftentimes they are not at 
all noticed. The patient is in a kind of dream, 
so that though some external impression has been 
made, yet it has not been perceived ; the brain 
either pursues its former trains of thought, 
or they may have been broken through, or modi- 
fied, or perverted, so as to have lost the cohesion 
of their original impression, and to be made up of 
a confused variety of cerebral irritations, aris- 
ing from the number of nervous fibriles, which 
may have been awakened into action, and which 
run into confused and fantastic grouping, for want 
of that regular and decided perception which would 
have led to the exercise of sound reason and 
judgment. In this way, involuntary trains of 
ideas crowd upon each other, and usurp a domi- 
nant situation, which takes away the supremacy 
from mind, and hands it over to disordered brain, — - 
a species of rebellion in the animal economy, 



348 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

which requires close watching, inasmuch as it 
borders very narrowly upon insanity. Let every 
one cautiously watch over himself, lest involuntary 
thoughts be permitted to enjoy the control of 
mind ; and, on the contrary, that all the mental 
functions he kept in due subordination to that 
master spiritual principle. 

There is another state of cerebral disorder, deep- 
ening as it proceeds, in which the patient is excluded 
from the power of receiving impressions at all; 
and this state probably arises from the more ex- 
tensive disorganisation of the brain, and from the 
greater hopelessness of the case ; a condition of 
fearfulness, which is only noticed here in order to 
ensure an earlier attention to the features of cere- 
bral disorder, by which, and by which alone, the 
more deplorable and hopeless results may be 
averted. Let, then, the first symptoms of un- 
wonted forgetfulness — of unusual listlessness — of 
unaccustomed indisposition to exertion — of dimi- 
nished energy — of shrinking from application— of 
retirement from duty — of omission of details — of 
perversion of thought, or reasoning, or plans ; — 
let all, or any one of these be early discovered, 
and jealously watched, for there is no time to lose ; 
the brain must be saved, or the tomb will close 
upon its possessor ; or he will inhabit the still more 
cheerless cell of insanity. 

This subject must not be dismissed without a cau- 
tion : this state is one which will not generally bear 
depletion ; it does not consist in too much arterial 
action, norm venous congestion, but in torpor of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 349 

nervous fibre, which will commonly be augmented by 
depleting measures. Nothing is more mischievous 
than to mistake sensorial loss of energy for vascular 
loss of balance ; and the distinction being easy, the 
mistake never should be made. 

There is sometimes a partial loss of memory upon 
particular subjects only ; but this may be accounted 
for on the principles above detailed ; it is only 
necessary to remove irritation of the cerebral tissue 
generally, to irritation of a small number of its 
fibres, upon which the impression had been origi- 
nally made ; and the same reasoning will apply to 
the partial, as it has done to the general loss of 
memory. It will happen frequently that this state 
is accompanied by a great degree of vacillation in 
the reason and judgment; and it is easily to be 
understood why the mind, when it has lost its 
great prop, its main support, in producing unity 
of design, and cohesiveness of action, feels that its 
great stay is gone, and that it has only adven- 
titious circumstances to support it : hence arises, 
first doubt as to the correctness of judgment, and 
then follow vacillation, and eternal change of pur- 
pose. 

But we pass on to notice the imagination. This 
faculty is known chiefly by its creative power; it 
has, perhaps, less to do with the realities of life 
than any other mental manifestation, and it de- 
lights to luxuriate in a region of its own creation. 
It does not yield obedience to any known or es- 
tablished laws, and claims the privilege of sub- 
mitting: to no authority but its own. These 



350 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

creations are oftentimes at variance with reason, 
though generally it is anxious to preserve such a 
degree of vraisemblance as to invest them with the 
air of distant probability — a connexion oftentimes 
so slight as not to be perceptible by ordinary 
faculties. This faculty is exceedingly useful to 
the writers of poetry and works of fiction ; it is 
constantly made the basis of the reveries of the 
romantic young, and the foundation of that airy 
structure in after life, which has received the 
designation of castle building ; it gives character 
to the waking dreams of time, and deeply tinges 
the intercourse of society — always casting a glow- 
ing colour over futurity, and giving its attractive 
hues to the new combinations of social life and 
circumstances, which arise out of its several 
changes, and from each succeeding exigency. To 
render its exercise safe, it is necessary that it should 
be guided and controlled by a sound judgment, 
and then it will give energy and life to the cha- 
racter ; but if this judgment be wanting, it will 
render it flighty and uncertain in its movements. 

This faculty has a large influence upon disease. 
When pushed beyond itself, it becomes the ground- 
work of superstition and fanaticism ; it invests 
life with an unreal and undefined boundary, which 
is so shadowed off into immensity, that its line 
of demarcation is lost ; the individual passes out 
of the domain of reason ; he attends to dreams ; 
he looks after omens ; he listens to voices ; he re- 
ceives impulses and directions which have no 
foundation in reason or religion ; he is subject to 



OF BODY AND MIND. 351 

impressions, and interior groundless notices; his 
actions become eccentric ; he is deceived by hal- 
lucinations ; he is subject to various illusions ; 
and he passes into the character of the monomaniac. 
This term is employed, not simply to designate a 
person who requires seclusion from society, but 
rather that much more frequent form of mental 
aberration, in which the patient thinks and acts in 
violation of the better judgment of the many wise 
and good, he, of course, thinking himself right, and 
all others most erroneous. 

Acting as it does most largely upon the hopes 
and fears of man, the imagination not only pos- 
sesses a large influence in the developement of 
monomania, but it operates considerably upon al- 
most every form of bodily disorder. The radiance 
of hope, and the night of despondency ; the buoy- 
ancy of cheerful expectation, and the depression 
of gloomy forebodings ; the fearfulness of coming 
futurity, or the joyful anticipations of to-morrow ; 
the dark unseen, if peopled with shadowy forms of 
deepest sorrow, or of happiness not to be appre- 
ciated ; the expectation of improvement, or the 
apprehension of increasing malady ; the striving 
against disease, or hopelessly yielding to its influ- 
ence ; all have their origin in this faculty, and 
exert an influence for or against life, greater than 
can be easily conceived ; and its judicious manage- 
ment, or the contrary, will often be the means of 
prolonging or destroying life. Hence the import- 
ance of watching over its agency, and especially 
of sedulously guarding it from eccentric action. 



352 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

The faculty of the will has already engaged our 
attention, while describing the essential character 
of progression which attaches to the human intel- 
lect. We shall endeavour to make the present 
notice brief, and only supplementary to the former 
discussion. 

It must ever be remembered that the moral re- 
sponsibility of man rests on his own power to 
change his determinations; for unless he possess 
this power, he becomes the creature of appetite 
and passion—the victim of impulse — the bondslave 
of his organisation. It was necessary that he 
should possess a faculty of this nature, since it is 
evident that if he were the mere animal, with all 
the powers of mischief conferred by his intellectual 
superiority, the greatest disorder must ensue upon 
the most intimate framework of society ; the gra- 
tification of selfish desires would be the dominant 
passion ; and to this, the good of others, and even 
the ultimate good of self, would be recklessly sacri- 
ficed ; present enjoyment would be the grand 
stimulus to action, and every other consideration 
would give way before the influence of this tyrant 
principle. 

Seeing, therefore, that the constitution of so- 
ciety requires in man a power to consider, and to 
alter his determinations, and that without it the social 
compact must be dissolved, it follows that, accord- 
ing to the nature of things, such an arrangement 
would take place ; and we are therefore quite pre- 
pared for the fact, that the moral Governor would 
endue his creature, man, with some faculty to 



OF BODY AND MIND. 353 

prevent all this disorder being thrown into his 
works; and we are surprised to find, not that 
will exists, but that it exerts so feeble an influence 
over the conduct. And this is indeed inexplicable, 
except by supposing some such fact as that which 
has been revealed to us, viz. that some prevailing 
cause has operated upon the will, so that it no 
longer chooses the good, and refuses the evil ; but 
that its bias is towards a preference of the latter, 
and a neglect of the former. 

This is still further shown, by considering the 
power of the will. Now it will be found that the 
will, which results from the exercise of reason and 
judgment, is very feeble, and liable to be blown 
aside by every gale of passion ; and that it only 
becomes strong and energetic by being associated 
with the latter. Hence it follows, that if the voice 
of reason be weak and that of passion strong ; and 
that while the exercise of the former is favourable 
to the good order of society, the influence of the 
latter is decidedly opposed to it, — the tendency of 
human conduct will be unfavourable to the growth 
of social virtue, and social happiness, which are 
coincident with the extension of moral worth. In 
whatever way this may be explained, nothing can 
be more true, than, that in the history of man, the 
prevalence of evil is undoubted ; and that, notwith- 
standing many good qualities, the uncontrolled 
tyranny of his organic suggestions would be such, 
that the world would be converted into one scene 
of unmitigated crime, and of unalleviated sorrow. 

It is allowed t that the inferior animals possess 

A A 



354 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and exercise the power of choice and volition ; they 
will decide between two plans of action which may 
come before them, and will select the one which 
is most congenial to their existing inclination. But 
there is this difference between the volition of 
brutes, and the will of man — that the former affects 
only the exterior of things, and is determined by 
impressions made upon the organ of sense ; while 
the latter inquires first into the hidden nature of 
the objects presented to its choice — looks beyond the 
surface — seeks after associations, connexions, and 
every kind of information, which will determine 
the nature of conduct, and so assist the judgment : 
the one is impulsive ; the other is reflective volition ; 
the one is animal suggestion, the other is spiritual 
government. 

This being the case, it is very desirable to enlist 
as many of the passions as possible, in the cause of 
virtue and the support of good, and obedience to 
the will of God ; because these will give strength 
to the will, and the desire to do good implanted by 
Him from whom cometh every good and perfect 
gift ; the inclination to do right should be culti- 
vated into passion, and should be so invested with 
benevolence to man and love to God, as to communi- 
cate the energy arising from the alliance of the will 
with passion. 

It has been objected, that specific directions from 
the will are not sent to particular muscles, through 
the medium of the nerves, on account of the in- 
tricacies and interlacings of those nerves, and the 
consequent jostling and confusion of the messages 



OF BODY AND MIND. 355 

thus distributed. We shall not retrace ground 
already passed over, by showing how unphilo- 
sophical and untrue is this objection ; and how 
absurd it is to argue against the possibility of the 
existence of that which every day demonstrates. 
Take for example the most complex operation of 
muscle, as of the muscles of the hand in writing ; 
or of the tongue and lips in speaking. Everybody 
must be conscious of directing the will to these 
particular muscles, and must know, that a specific 
act of volition is required for the formation of every 
letter of every word written or spoken ; and yet the 
most rapid writer or speaker goes on uninter- 
ruptedly without the smallest difficulty arising out 
of the " commingling, and confusing the different 
lines of communication." It is absurd to talk of 
this as untrue, because we cannot understand it. 
Is this, then, the onlv thing which we do not com- 
prehend ? Is there anything beyond mathematical 
truth which we do fully comprehend, and are we 
quite sure even on this point ? Here, then, is the 
simple fact ; so it is ; of what avail is reasoning to 
prove that it cannot be ? 

It has sometimes been asked, why there should 
be a greater complexity of arrangement and mi- 
nuteness of subdivision of the nervous, than of the 
arterial system ? Now to asking questions, there 
is no legitimate barrier ; and we do not intend to 
hold ourselves responsible to answer all the ques- 
tions which may be asked. But in the present 
instance the reason is obvious ; the arterial system 
has but one function to perform, while the nervous 

a a 2 



356 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

system has many. It is true, that in passing the 
round of the system, the arterial blood assists 
greatly in the performance of other functions, as 
digestion, nutrition, secretion, calorification, and 
even innervation itself, yet the functions of the 
nervous system are still more intricate, diversified, 
and complicated. 

All this is perfectly consistent with a presiding 
mind — a mind which governs and directs all the 
movements of health ; and which is still to be traced 
in the morbid manifestations of disordered action. 
In some minds, a difficulty has arisen to conceive 
how the spiritual being can be at the helm, and 
govern and direct all the mental manifesta- 
tions ; and yet be apparently present in the ex- 
tremities of the sensitive system, and in the mi- 
nutest details of action and passion at one and the 
same time. Yet this is borne out by facts, although 
we may not be able to comprehend them ; the 
doctrine of a general and particular Providence 
presents a perfect analogy. The Supreme Being 
is at the helm, and directs all things. But He 
is equally present, and his Providence is equally 
extended to the remotest events, and details of the 
lives of his creatures. In the one case, He acts 
as the moral Governor of the universe; in the 
other, He acts through his commissioned agents — 
acting, indeed, under their own will, and apparently 
from their own resources, yet fulfilling his designs 
in the voluntary employment or mis-employment 
of that will, and of those resources which God has 
originally communicated. Thus, the spiritual part 



OF BODY AND MIND. 357 

of man, emanating as it has done from divinity 
itself, directs and governs all the mental move, 
ments ; but in the sentient extremities of the 
system it acts through the medium of its commis- 
sioned agents ; agents, which seem to move in- 
dependently, but which really have no power when 
cut off from communication with their original 
superior. 

Many circumstances contribute to modify these 
manifestations of mind, both in their origin and 
in the remote distribution of nervous fibre, so that 
not only the mental operations, but all the func- 
tions of the body, shall receive a distinctive cha- 
racter from original pre-disposition, from age, sex, 
temperament, education, climate, parental pecu- 
liarities handed down to offspring, and all the 
varied forms of disorder. All these circumstances 
tend to modify the manifestations of mind, and the 
actions of body, so that every individual becomes 
characterized by some striking peculiarity, which, 
in fact, constitutes his individuality, and in which 
to himself mainly consists his identity. 

It is scarcely more than necessary to mention 
this law of nature to ensure its belief; yet it is right 
to notice one or two obvious facts, which support 
the doctrine above advanced. Every unprejudiced 
person must have observed the difference of im- 
pression made upon different classes of individuals, 
as, for instance, upon the children of the poor and 
the rich ; the one, without care, robust, and strong ; 
the other, with the utmost care, feeble and sus- 
ceptible of every kind of morbid impression, strongly 



358 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

contrasting with the power of resisting in a great 
degree external morbid impressions, which is en- 
joyed by the former. During illness, too, the one 
will be attacked by maladies of a severe character, 
rather than by that frailty of function which be- 
longs to their superiors ; and all these states must 
be met and combated by different, and even by 
very dissimilar methods of treatment. Unless these 
facts were noticed and acted upon, the science of 
medicine would become one vast chaos of em- 
piricism. 

We shall not now pursue this subject, as we 
shall recur to it hereafter under the head of physical 
temperament, and its influence upon the manifesta- 
tions of mind in a subsequent page. But we have 
noticed above, that many other causes exert a 
considerable influence in modifying the style of 
thought and action, of feeling and expression, in 
every individual. Now this is unquestionably 
true ; but it is not true, that this modifying in- 
fluence is sufficient to produce a change of cha- 
racter ; or that the moral re-actions of the indi- 
vidual are likewise necessitated and independent 
of the will. 

Now this is just the point in dispute between 
the necessitarian and the free-will advocate ; be- 
tween the fatalist and the visionary who imagines 
that he can control nature by the expression of 
his will ; between the ?£/£ra-phrenologist and his 
spiritual opponent. Man is or is not, however, a 
responsible agent ; if he be so, he must have a will, 
in order to make choice of good or evil ; but if his 



OF BODY AND MIND. 359 

moral re-actions are necessitated, and not under 
the influence of the will, he can no longer be held 
responsible for his conduct, since none can be 
called to account for conduct, or thought, or feel- 
ing, which are inevitable, and independent of him- 
self. The essential difference between these two 
views is, that the one originates action and feeling 
in the brain ; the other, that these (action and 
feeling) are determined by mind, but that they 
admit of modification in their manifestations, ac- 
cording to the original peculiarity or present con- 
dition of the manifesting organ. If the former of 
these propositions be true, all our reasoning falls 
to the ground : man is not a reasoning creature, 
and he cannot in justice be held responsible for 
thought, and feeling, and action, over which he 
has no control. This proposition has been already 
shown to be monstrous ; and it is so completely at 
variance with the order of nature, that we shall 
not again pass over a train of argumentation, which 
has been before detailed, or anticipate that which 
may be hereafter adduced, when treating of the 
morbid influence of the body upon the mind. 

There is, however, one point which it is necessary 
to discuss in this place, viz. the distinction between 
will and inclination. The two are very often con- 
founded as synonymous ; we are perpetually told 
that parties wish to do a certain thing, but that 
they cannot. Were it not for the unfortunate phi- 
losophical and moral results, which so frequently 
occur from this want of the energy of perseverance, 
it would be too absurd to require serious notice ; 



360 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

but unhappily the greatest mischiefs commonly 
arise from this very source ; the judgment is con- 
vinced of the propriety of acting in a particular 
direction, and the parties ivish to act so as to secure 
a certain result ; but the attractions of another line 
of conduct are greater ; inclination bears towards 
it, and there being no firmness of purpose, no will 
to oppose to its suggestions, inclination obtains the 
mastery ; the individual does not will to act right, 
and in spite of his good resolutions at a distance, 
he constantly acts in opposition to his judgment. 

The frequent result of man's acting against his 
better judgment, and of his being driven away in 
a direction contrary to his convictions, and to his 
best resolutions founded thereon, has become one 
grand resting-place for those who deny the free 
agency of man ; as if man could not act aright if 
he would ; as if he could not subdue his inclina- 
tions, deny himself, and subjugate his passions, 
as well as the temptations arising therefrom, if he 
would only will, or be determined to do so. We 
speak not of him as independent of Divine assist- 
ance ; we know he cannot act without it ; 

" The breath of heaven 
Must swell the sail, 
Or all the toil be lost." 

But if that aid be vouchsafed, it is so to the will ; 
not to indolent, languid desires, and empty long- 
ings, and unmeaning aspirations, but to the will. 
It is this only which is energized to action, and 
without it there will be no principled action at 



OF BODY A^ND MIND. 361 

all. But it may be said, who gives the will? Why, 
the faculty of volition is given to man, to be go- 
verned by his understanding and his reason, and 
Divine aid will be afforded to the employment of 
that faculty ; but this employment must originate 
with man, and he may, if he choose, neglect the 
suggestion ; therefore he is a free agent ; therefore 
he is bound to watch over and escape from the in- 
fluence of prejudice and passion, which would dis- 
tort his views, becloud his vision, and benumb his 
voluntary power : therefore, he is bound to govern 
and direct, and deny himself, either for his own 
good or the good of others. Indeed self denial, 
the first principle of benevolence, can only be found 
in a free agent ; and without freedom of volition, 
the whole nature of man is subverted, his moral 
character is destroyed, his accountability for his 
actions is submerged in the deep and unfathom- 
able waters of Lethe ; the employment of his 
mental powers can be no longer enforced ; and the 
right use of his reason can be found nowhere, 
except in the disputations of the schools. 

This position is, however, denied ; and, strange 
to say, by two kinds of disputants, who, with very 
different views and intentions, assert the same 
thing; and though antipodes to each other in all 
other respects, show at least in this respect a very 
close approximation, viz. the ultra-spiritualist who 
affirms that man has no will of his own, no power 
to choose good and to refuse evil, no ability to 
select that which is most becoming; his station 
here; and the modern infidel, who refers all these 



362 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

things to the organisation, and asserts, that man 
is such as his organisation makes him ; that he 
has no power to change his nature, and that he 
is not to be blamed for the indulgence of propen- 
sities to which his physical system has rendered 
him obnoxious. 

Both these casuists destroy, though in a different 
way, the accountability of the individual ; the 
former in the more lamentable way, because moral 
obligation is lessened under the specious pretext 
of exalting the honour of the supreme moral 
Governor. But we appeal to the fact, that the 
Almighty has given to man the faculty of the will, 
and if he is not to exert it, it has been given him 
in vain, which is directly at variance with the 
perfect character of the Giver. And we might 
also appeal to the consequences, and to the ex- 
perience, that persons in general, holding such 
views, are less circumspect, less discreet and 
valuable members of society, than those who con- 
sider themselves morally responsible for their 
actions. And still farther, we might add, that it 
is thoroughly inconsistent with the character of a 
righteous Governor, to reward or to punish indi- 
viduals for acts over which they have had no 
possible control. 

The infidel philosopher who arrives at the same 
sceptical conclusion, argues that man's passions 
(for it is these which generally lead him into error) 
result from his organisation ; and that thus, con- 
trol in the well-organized animal, is to be found 
in their gratification, and in their natural balance ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 363 

this balance being proportioned to the necessities of 
the moment ; so that no other control is to be 
placed on the wildness of ungoverned passion, 
than some other organic excitement ; both being 
governed by the necessities of the moment, that 
necessity being of course the inclination of the in- 
dividual, since " as each temperament has its pre- 
dominant passions, most men are born victims 
to some feelings to which they are compelled to obey" 
Now if this were true ; if men of a certain tem- 
perament are compelled to obey certain feelings 
attached to their predominant temperament; if 
they are the victims of their organisation, there 
would be an entire end of making man accountable 
for actions which he has no power to repress ; and 
the social compact is dissipated, because that com- 
pact necessarily implies a surrender of certain 
selfish wishes and inclinations to the good of the 
general community ; a subjugation of selfishness 
to benevolence ; a subjection of passion to prin- 
ciple. This is the keystone of the social arch ; 
upon this it is founded ; undermine this, and it 
crumbles into disrupted atoms. What then is 
principle ? It is the developement of the moral 
sense, applied to all the emergencies of life ; de- 
rived, in natural religion, from a sense of what is 
right, and just, and fit, and upright; and in re- 
vealed religion, from the obligations of the moral 
law; in either case, being sufficient to conduct 
the individual in the paths of rectitude ; and being- 
dependent upon the exercise of the will, to call up 
those principles to control natural passions and 



364 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

desires ; and to preserve man from constantly 
falling into those obliquities of conduct to which 
he has become peculiarly liable, from the debasing 
moral change which has passed upon him, and 
which has rendered him, in the words of his sacred 
history, " prone to evil, and that continually." 

It has been alleged, that repentance for past 
transgressions, is only that the state of the in- 
dividual is changed with respect to his domi- 
nant passion. Now this is true to a certain extent ; 
but then the change is brought about by moral 
motive, and not by physical causes. Repentance 
has been already shown to be very different from 
remorse ; it is to be also distinguished from that 
transient regret with which it has been confounded, 
and which involves no real sorrow for the past — 
no real desire of amendment for the future. The 
materialist wishes to call this state repentance ; 
because regret is thus produced by the gratification 
of passion, which takes away from the immediate 
desire for its further gratification, through the 
satiety it produces, and the organic rest which it 
requires ; but it is a transient impression, and is 
gone as soon as that organic rest has recruited 
organic expenditure ; and then at once is revived 
the desire for the gratification of passion without 
any controlling agency. 

Not so, repentance ! Here, there is not the di- 
minished appetite — and, indeed, the gradually 
induced loathing of satiety, and of exhausted 
power for the continuance of gratifying impulse; 
but a real and effective moral change ; a conviction 



OF BODY AND MIND. 365 

of what is morally wrong, and a desire after that 
which is morally right ; as well as contrition arising 
out of that conviction, and the consequent desire 
for the future cultivation of that which is right, 
and of avoiding that which is wrong. And in the 
same proportion as temptation is greater, and the 
voice of passion is louder and stronger, as arising 
out of physical or surrounding circumstances ; so 
will there be increased watchfulness to guard 
against the first risings of the storm, to watch the 
first heaving of the billows, to stem the torrent ere 
it become overwhelming in its force and fury ; and 
all this, arising from a desire to obey the command- 
ments of the Supreme Governor of the universe. 
Thus is it moral motive, not physical organisation, 
which produces the change, where that change is 
real and effective. 

It would be mere quibbling, to say, that this 
was only a change of state with regard to the 
dominant passion ; and that, whereas the previous 
state was obedience to constitutional conditions, 
the present one of repentance was owing to the 
predominance of love or fear — either of love to God 
or of fear of punishment for offences. The truth 
would be, that these spring from repentance ; but 
even if it were not so, it is clear that they are 
arising from moral, not physical associations, and 
therefore are not to be accounted for by the fore- 
going hypothesis ; an hypothesis whose primary 
object is to tear away moral and spiritual obliga- 
tion from their influence upon the conduct of man. 

This position, however, is only an offset from the 



366 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

startling proposition, that the brain is totally useless 
in all that regards mind ; or " that the mental phe- 
nomena are governed hy the laws of organised action." 
Now it must be manifest, upon a very little con- 
sideration, that this conclusion thus magisterially 
drawn, is to the last degree un philosophical; for 
in the first place, it supposes that we are thoroughly 
acquainted with the nature of mind, which we are 
not ; and in the next place it supposes, that we are 
also thoroughly informed of its relation to matter — 
of which, again, we are really in a great degree 
ignorant. Again, it supposes that mind is subject 
to matter — that it is governed by the laws of or- 
ganised action ; a conclusion which we take leave 
to deny ; and to assert, on the contrary, that so 
far as regards mind, the brain is the appointed 
organ for its manifestation — to receive and to 
obey its directions ; that it is, in fact, the servant 
of mind — a property superior to, and not dependent 
upon, organisation, but directing that organised 
action according to its will. 

It is equally unphilosophical to assert, that the 
brain must be useless as relates to mind, unless it 
be in fact mind itself; because it assumes the point 
in dispute, and asserts that mental phenomena are 
governed by organised action ; whereas it is asserted 
by the opponent, that so far from this being the 
case, the organic changes are under the direction of 
mental influence. 

Again, to assert that the brain must be " totally 
useless as regards mind, unless it be mind itself," 
is to assert that the organ and the function are the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 367 

same thing ; and that there can only be one cause 
operating' upon that function ; as if it were to be 
asserted, that the stomach was of no use as regards 
digestion, unless that function can be performed 
without nervous influence, upon which, though 
unseen, it is wholly dependent ; or, as if it were 
asserted, that the stomach was of no use as relates 
to the process of nutrition, unless it completed the 
formation of the chyle ; or to the function of san- 
guification unless it added the last perfecting action 
to the formation of the blood, viz. the red particles ; 
all of which are absurd conclusions, — yet not more 
so, than that which asserts, that the brain can do 
nothing, or that it cannot perform one alleged func- 
tion, unless it can perform another. 

All these difficulties are smoothed away by the 
acknowledgment of the simple fact, that the brain 
is not mind itself, but inferior and subjected to it ; 
that it is the exponent of mind ; that it is appointed 
to receive its notices, and issue its commands ; 
while, on the contrary, the mind directs the move- 
ments of the brain, accelerates or retards its actions, 
presides over its physical functions, and regulates 
its actions in conformity with moral and spiritual 
principles. 

This opinion has been endeavoured to be sup- 
ported by the argument, that attention is not a 
mental faculty, but a peculiar' condition of the 
cerebral organ, induced by the strength of impres- 
sion made upon it. It might here be fairly asked, 
what is a faculty, but a peculiar condition of the 
organ, which enables it to carry on any one of its 



368 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

functions, at any given time more than at another. 
If it be made to consist in mere excitement of the 
organ, through which it is enabled to receive freely 
the impressions which have been made upon it, 
and, therefore, to comprehend their full bearing; 
it is then only the increased action of the organ of 
mind, by which it seeks to acquire information ; so 
that we might fairly say, attention is a faculty, a 
peculiar condition of the mental organ, by which it 
is enabled more accurately and more usefully to 
inform itself of the nature of objects, or the tenden- 
cies of a subject, or the strong and the weak points 
of an argument. 

This attempt, therefore, to fasten an important 
mental phenomenon upon organic agency, has 
signally failed; because, first, the faculty may pro- 
duce the peculiar condition of the organ in which it 
is said to consist ; because, next, every variety of 
function requires, to a certain extent, a peculiar 
condition of that organic fibre which is concerned 
in its manifestation ; and because, thirdly, none can 
disprove the assertion, that it is mind which first 
called into existence this faculty, or that peculiar 
condition of the cerebral organ which is fitted for 
that department of its manifestations which is called 
attention. 

Such is the a priori reasoning upon this subject : 
and this is supported by the facts of the case ; for 
if it were not true, that attention could be directed 
to particular subjects by the will — the moi — the 
interior spiritual being; then it would be never 
fixed, would be always varying at every new im- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 369 

pression, and always tossed away from its present 
object by any new impulse, by any fresh organic 
suggestion. Neither, if the hypothesis were true, 
could the attention be varied at pleasure from one 
object to another, at the bidding of the will, and in 
obedience to mental behests ; it could be governed 
only by the laws of organised action ; whereas it is 
manifest, that however much it is unhappily dis- 
turbed by any disorder in the organisation, yet in 
its state of organic healthfulness, it is a cheerful 
and faithful servant of mind. 

Precisely the same reasoning is applicable to 
another faculty, the existence of which as a faculty 
has been denied ; and this denial has been sup- 
ported by a beautiful theory of organic movements, 
in order to account for spontaneous recollection. 
Thus it has been said, " In efforts at recollection 
the ideas sometimes proceed in a logical and syllo- 
gistic series, so that the steps of the process may be 
retraced ; more frequently, the organic movements 
are performed too rapidly for consciousness, and 
the idea flashes at once on the mind, as if without 
connexion. It often happens also, that after a 
protracted but ineffectual effort, the idea arises 
spontaneously, and interferes with the new trains 
upon which the mind is then occupied. It should 
seem that, in this instance, the cerebral tissue has 
been thrown into a state of orgasm by the previous 
effort, and repeats at intervals the movements upon 
w r hich it has been exercised, independently of the 
will, and thus accidentally introduces the required 
idea." 

B B 



370 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

It is readily allowed, that there is something very 
difficult of explanation in that form of spontaneous 
recollection, in which, after frequent and fruitless 
efforts to remember, the idea at last flashes across 
the perception, without any apparent cohesion with 
any preceding train ; but to endeavour to account 
for memory upon a series of organic movements, is 
unphilosophical and contrary to fact. It is unphi- 
losophical, inasmuch as it supposes the existence of 
a cause, which is unnecessary ; since if memory be 
a mental process, conducted under the agency of 
the mental organ, with submission to the mental 
guidance, it is unnecessary to suppose a series of 
organic movements in order to its production. We 
know but little of mental operation, but that little 
is opposed to the idea of materiality. And it is 
contrary to fact ; for if there were organic move- 
ments, those movements would be perceived, 
when the attention was awakened to the pro- 
cess. But they are not ; in the highest efforts 
of memory, there are no perceptible organic 
movements ; the brain may be aroused ; it may 
be an active and faithful, it may be a treacher- 
ous and contumacious servant, but organic move- 
ments are not discoverable ; all that is felt, is 
distress of mind, because the effort of recollection 
is unavailing. 

But the process is evidently a mental process, 
and not one of organic movement. It often hap- 
pens, that, in recollection, the ideas are traced back 
in regular cohesive association to the point which is 
the one sought for ; and this is taken step by step 



OF BODY AND MIND. 371 

as a regular consequence of voluntary attention ; 
and the action of the brain is perceived only as 
subsidiary. But, sometimes, the effort to trace 
back the present, to other by-gone trains of ideas, 
is fruitless : the thing is not perceived ; but the 
right chord has been touched, unconsciously, or 
half-consciously, while apparently busied about other 
things; the mind has hunted about for the lost 
idea, and has picked up the clue, which has con- 
ducted, without effort or manifest design, to the 
thing sought for. But perhaps the pursuit has 
been abandoned as fruitless, and after all the idea 
arises spontaneously. Now, this may not admit of 
easy explanation ; but it is just as much explained 
by saying that it arises from a series of menial, as 
from a series of organic movements, each being 
equally unperceived, and for the latter of which 
there is no foundation in reason or analogy. In all 
probability, in the search after the forgotten idea, 
some train has been awakened, which, unperceived, 
leads the inquirer to the object of pursuit ; the 
original impression made upon some portion of the 
subsidiary organ has been reproduced, which the 
mind has caught up and applied. And if this be not 
wholly satisfactory, at all events, it has more foun- 
dation in fact, than the hypothesis of organic move- 
ment, aiding organic recollection, and going no 
farther than organisation. We do not judge it 
necessary to notice the orgasm of the cerebral 
tissue, and the repetition of the movements of that 
tissue, independently of the will, which repetition 
of movement accidentally introduces the required 

b b 2 



372 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

idea ; a farrago of nonsense, which one would think 
must be the product of cerebral tissue, unguided by 
the judgment, and of cerebral action, when disso- 
ciated from its governing and directing prin- 
ciple. Grievous, indeed, is it to observe the 
follies into which wise men fall, when they wish 
to substitute preconceived notions for truth ; and 
to support a favourite hypothesis, rather than yield 
the mind to any direction higher than mere orga- 
nisation. 

There is an important offset from this hypothesis 
of organic movement, which has so considerable a 
bearing on the moral character, that it requires to 
be noticed in this place. It has been said, that 
the ideas which flow from impressions commencing 
in the viscera, are wliolly organic, and exempted from 
moral consequence ; or, in other words, that man 
is irresponsible for all actions, the germ of which 
is to be found in his organisation ; so that for all 
his animal propensities, for all the lower feelings 
and passions, and all the consequences to which 
they lead, he is not responsible ; their origin is 
" wholly organic," and therefore they are " ex- 
empted from moral consequence ;" so that the 
framework of society may be destroyed by the 
influence of human passion, and yet the destroying 
individuals are to be held innocent, provided that 
these actions are stimulated by the tyranny of their 
organic suggestions. 

It is not often that we find error holding out a 
front so open that it cannot be sophisticated, un- 
disguised even by the flimsy veil of pseudo-bene- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 373 

volence ; and it is a real relief when the features 
of error, its general form and pressure, are thus 
held up in all their hatefulness. In writing for 
the general public, we are precluded from taking 
as examples many of the animal passions ; we shall 
merely mention, in the present instance, revenge, 
in consequence of which an individual commits 
murder ! Now if it shall have happened that the 
first germ of this passion originated in his stomach, 
because his victim had stolen his dinner when he 
was very hungry, and he had pursued and in- 
flicted summary vengeance upon him, the perpe- 
tration of murder is to be held harmless, because 
the first ideas which led to the crime commenced in 
the viscera, were wholly organic, and exempted from 
moral consequences. 

And inasmuch as almost all the ideas arise 
through the senses, the greater part of man's 
feelings and conduct are dependent upon his or- 
ganisation, in addition to which much of his moral 
and social character is governed by passions and 
sentiments which have their root in the viscera ; 
all these are exempted from moral consequences, 
and therefore man is irresponsible for almost all 
that he says and does in life. Now this is a simple 
following out of the principle to its legitimate 
sequences; and if such be admitted, of what avail 
are the bonds of social order — what the use of moral 
sensation — what the value of relative obligation — 
what the use of moral principle and action ? Man 
does as he is prompted by passion ; he pleases him- 
self, and therefore he is not responsible ! How 



374 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

frightful the consequences to be derived from such 
a position ! Far better to live with the beasts of 
the field ; they can but obey the dictates of their 
organisation ; and they would be less formidable, 
because they possess not reason to give energy 
and power to their resolves. 

In good truth, man has a spiritual principle 
given him for the purpose of controlling the irre- 
gularities which would otherwise ensue from un- 
bridled passion. His moral sense governs the 
animal, and makes him answerable for all his 
conduct ; the whole of his organisation is placed 
in subjection to this governing, presiding prin- 
ciple, and man is morally culpable if he do not 
yield obedience to the influence of conscience ; 
still more so if he refuse to submit his will to the 
dictates of this conscience, aided as it is by all the 
moral truth with which he is surrounded, by all 
the highest sanctions which revelation, and the 
belief of the existence of an omniscient God, holy 
and just, encouraging the good, and punishing the 
wicked, is calculated to produce. 

We see the anxiety of a certain class of phi- 
losophers to lower human nature as much as pos- 
sible, so that the apparent distinction between man 
and brutes should be diminished to a difference in 
degree, and not in kind ; and that even this differ- 
ence should be so shaded off, as almost to blend at 
certain points of approximation, and to leave no 
distinctive marks between the two. The design 
of this reasoning is very evident : if man should 
obey his passions, and all other organic sugges- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 375 

tions, and be held scatheless for all the conse- 
quences, then it is most desirable that he should 
have no future account to give of the deeds done 
in the body ! And since not the most sanguine 
visionary believes that there are future rewards 
and punishments for the brute creation, then it is 
most desirable that man should only be a superior 
brute, because if the same in kind, and only 
differing in degree, the question of action is only 
one of degree ; responsibility for such action the 
same — future consequences the same — and there- 
fore rewards and punishments the same. If, then, 
the question of rewards and punishments be only 
one of degree, — and there are obviously none in 
the one instance, so neither can there be in the 
other ; man gets rid of the notion of accountability, 
and all is well, if he do not act so as to arouse the 
passions of his fellow -man ; and even then he is 
not responsible, and there are no moral conse- 
quences. 

The question, therefore, as to what is the dis- 
tinction between the intelligence of man and brutes 
is not unimportant. To this may be appended, 
though not necessarily, the question of the after 
existence of brutes in another state of being:. This 
latter problem, perhaps, it is impossible to solve 
satisfactorily, because of our oivn knowledge we can 
know nothiiig of a state of after-existence, and 
therefore w r e can form no reasonable judgment of 
the respective fitness of such after-existence ; and 
it is a point upon which Revelation is profoundly 
silent, and therefore it may be believed to be one 



376 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

into which it was not intended we should inquire. 
It has been thought that this question had an 
important bearing on mans after-existence; but it 
has not, because, in the first place, supposing man to 
partake of the same nature with brutes, there are 
different degrees of intelligence, and an omnipo- 
tent Creator may have imparted to one a capacity 
for after-existence, which may have been withheld 
from another less suited to such existence ; and, 
in the next place, comes the truth, that man pos- 
sesses a principle superadded to his more perfect 
organisation — a principle differing in nature from 
brute intelligence — a spiritual principle — discon- 
nected with matter, and destined to survive its 
ruin, and to flourish in unceasing and immortal 
verdure. Now what are the distinctive features 
between the mind of man and the intelligence of 
brutes ? since, as a mere question of degree, there 
are gradations of intelligence even in cultivated 
society, which will account for much difference of 
mental manifestation. 

It cannot be denied that the inferior animals 
possess rational minds ; and it has been already 
stated that the great difference in their apparent 
intelligence, and that of man is, that the latter 
originates and acquires, while the former possesses 
only imparted knowledge, such as it has pleased 
the Creator to bestow, and in all respects best 
suited for the situation that animal is destined to 
fill. It has also been stated that animals do not 
anticipate as a reasoning process, though they in- 
stinctively prepare for certain grand events, which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 377 

their instinctive knowledge has tanght them to 
expect ; as, for instance, to seek shelter from a 
coming storm, or to prepare a fit residence for 
their expected young, or other similar acts, all of 
which differ from mental anticipation, as not being 
wrought out, but imparted. 

It must be allowed that the intelligence of some 
animals is great; that it is even greater than that 
possessed by many of the higher order of creatures, 
man, in some at least of his less gifted specimens. 
But it is after all of a different kind ; nothing can 
give to man the superiority of sense, the instinctive 
sagacity, the inherent knowledge which are pos- 
sessed by brutes ; while, on the other hand, nothing 
can confer on the inferior animals the kind of 
reasoning intelligence possessed by man, and es- 
pecially that moral soul, which renders him a 
religious, a responsible creature, and the absence 
of which leaves the inferior animal irresponsible. 
It appears, then, that a man of limited intelligence 
possesses knowledge which the most sagacious 
animal has not; while even some stupid animals 
excel the finest specimens of the most intellectual 
men in the amount of their instinctive knowledge ; 
in the extent and power of their senses ; and in 
the quantity of their imparted information. 

But if so, if it be true that in some features of 
animal intelligence, the most stupid creatures excel 
man, in all the pride and vain-glory of his intellec- 
tual possessions, and, on the contrary, that the nar- 
rowed understanding of uncultivated man greatly 
excels in reasoning power the highest reach of the 



378 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

imparted knowledge of the lower animals, it fol- 
lows necessarily that the difference between the 
two is a distinction of nature, and not only a dif- 
ference in degree. 

Wherein, then, consists this difference ? In both 
cases the brain is the organ of mind ; in both 
cases impressions are received from the exterior ; 
and the mental manifestations are conveyed from 
within outward, through the medium of a similar 
organ ; in both cases the brain performs the same 
function. It is not here a question whether the 
brain is more or less perfect, because, first, that 
is admitted on all hands ; and because, secondly, 
as the difference to be explained is not one of 
degree, but of kind, we shall not have arrived one 
step nearer a solution of the problem by showing 
that in ooe case the organ is more perfect in its 
capacity ; since, in truth ? while one brain is more 
perfect in acquired, the other is far more perfect in 
instinctive, or imparted knowledge. 

Here, it may be said by some persons, that we 
are reduced to the alternative of allowing the 
proximate cause of thought to rest in the brain of 
the inferior animal, or to admit that he has an im- 
mortal mind. Now it is fully allowed that this 
question is beset with difficulties, and that it 
appears to be one of those in which we everywhere 
find that Nature has placed a barrier to our inves- 
tigations ; a barrier not to be overleaped, and 
through which, therefore, it is the part of wisdom 
not to pry, since the seal of omnipotent secrecy has 
been placed upon it. Yet if we do not too curi- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 379 

ously seek after that into which it is forbidden for 
us to inquire, and if we do not impiously attempt 
to supersede the creative wisdom of Omniscience, 
by doubting His knowledge or His power, or 
setting limits to His goodness, there is no reason 
why we may not humbly seek to trace His agency 
in all His ivorks. 

Now with regard to these supposed alternatives, 
first, that we must admit the proximate cause of 
thought to exist in the brain ; we reply that this 
is unnecessary, because the Almighty may have 
given to the inferior animals a certain something 
which we call mind, of the possession of which 
man is conscious t and refers in matters of opinion 
or action to his understanding, his judgment, his 
conscience, clearly distinguishing these powers of 
thought from the organ which carries them on • 
and this something called mind, is suited to the 
condition in life, the wants, the habits, the well- 
being, the destiny of the respective animals. To 
this mind the impressions from without may be 
communicated, and the notices from within may 
be conveyed ; and in the absence of moral motive 
the functions of life will be performed through the 
several impulses of passion and appetite, and other 
organic suggestions. 

But the too curious inquirer will wish to know 
what is the nature of this mind, and what its final 
destiny ? Is it, or is it not immortal ? Is it lost 
with the life of the animal, or is it destined to live 
again, in the same, or in some new form ? We 
cannot tell; it is a point beyond the reach of 



380 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

human intellect. But this is not a matter of such 
grave importance as lias been represented by 
sceptical philosophers, since no important doctrine 
rests upon it. It is absurd, and very unphiloso- 
phical for man to dogmatise upon a subject of 
which he is so profoundly ignorant, as not even to 
know the meaning of the terms he employs in order 
to explain that which is inexplicable. Now, till 
we know what are the ultimate properties of 
matter ; what is the nature of the ultimate nervous 
fibre ; how impressions are made upon it ; how 
conveyed by it; wherein consists nervous influ- 
ence ; and what are the disorders to which it is 
liable, it is quite useless to attempt an explanation 
of the functions of the brain. So that as philoso- 
phers, we ought quietly to study the manifestations 
of mind, without making intimate researches into 
the nature of thought. Thus, therefore, we see 
that the question of animal mind cannot, in philo- 
sophical truth, be brought to bear upon the other 
question of the brain being the final cause of 
thought. 

Neither is this more important, in regard to the 
immortality of the spiritual part of man, or his 
future prospects, responsibilities, rewards, and 
punishments. For, first, the Almighty may have 
given to animals a rational mind, suited to their 
station in life ; and this not being a moral mind, 
and its possessor not morally responsible, there 
is no necessity for a future state of rewards and 
punishments, to equalize the inequalities of life ; 
and therefore animal mind may become extin- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 381 

guished, or cease to exist with animal life. Or, 
secondly, it may be destined to revive in a new 
state of existence, — a state of existence suited to its 
powers and capabilities, — but not for the exhibition 
of attributes which it never possessed ; an animal 
but not a spiritual paradise, which latter is reserved 
only for that moral and responsible creature, man, 
w r hose education here is evidently one of probation, 
to fit him for future activity, and future enjoyment. 
Either alternative is perfectly possible ; which 
exists, is hidden from us, and it is worse than 
useless to inquire : for in no case has the truth any 
bearing upon the immortality of the soul of man, 
or upon any other great doctrine of our faith. We 
know not the whole ; if we did, we should find 
order, harmony, wisdom, and beauty : we know 
not in what way nature has accomplished the 
mysterious union of mind and matter : but if 
we did know, we should doubtless be astonished 
at the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness of 
God, displayed in the simplicity of the arrange- 
ment, 

There is one other faculty of the mind, which 
claims our attention for a few moments, because it 
has an important bearing upon the healthy, as well 
as upon the morbid manifestations of the spiritual 
principle, viz. the faculty of imitation. If we go 
back to early infancy, we notice, that upon this 
faculty depends almost all the acquired good or 
evil of that early period ; from the first dawn of 
intelligence, we shall find the prevalence of this 
instinctive desire ; there is a natural inclination to 



382 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

resemble those around us ; and the manners and 
habits of individuals, the speech, the modes of 
thought and action, are handed down from one 
generation to another. 

That this faculty is instinctive, will also be shown 
by considering, that there is in the human mind a 
secret but imperative impulse to imitate that which 
pleases ; and that the early traces of this faculty 
are to be discovered before the developement of 
reason, in a degree sufficient to form a basis for 
rational imitation ; and that with augmenting 
mental power, it is to be found standing out as a 
master principle in the passion of emulation. 
Another proof of its instinctive nature, will be 
found in the mode by which we sympathise in the 
joys or sorrows of others : we joy with those who 
rejoice ; we weep with those who weep, and simply 
because they do so ; for this act of sympathy will 
oftentimes precede reflection, as to the cause which 
has produced those manifestations which we uncon- 
sciously imitate. 

We see the influence of this principle, in what 
may be termed the fashion of the day, that fashion, 
often giving currency to things absurd, and much 
more frequently to things of little value, so as to 
give them an undue preponderance for a time; 
and then, by a similar re-action, sending them back 
again, into a state of unmerited obloquy and insig- 
nificance. This fashion is frequently changing ; 
but while it continues, it exercises a very powerful 
influence upon conduct ; and thus it is that we find, 
not only reigning fashion in dress, but we observe 



OF BODY AND MIND. 383 

certain pursuits become fashionable. The study 
of some languages, or of some branch of science 
hitherto neglected, is now brought out into active 
notice. The advantage of this influence is mani- 
fest ; because each one seeks to obtain all the in- 
formation of his neighbour, and by a more accurate 
investigation, to carry on that knowledge one step 
further, which again excites and keeps up the zeal 
and activity of the faculty. 

This faculty of imitation is greatest in the 
young, and perhaps becomes less in proportion to 
the developement of the judgment, and to the in- 
crease of experience, leading to greater caution 
and discrimination. As age advances, the tendency 
to imitation certainly diminishes to such an extent, 
that after a certain number of years, we shall find the 
disposition to receive anything new, to step out of 
the beaten track, or to take new impressions or new 
views, become so feeble, as to form a positive ob- 
stacle to improvement, and to the enlargement of 
the dominion of mind. By degrees it forms a suffi- 
cient ground of objection, to any new thing, 
that our ancestors did not think, or do so ; age is 
remarkable for its pertinacity to old opinions, 
and for its indisposition to believe that which is 
modern. 

That such a faculty should possess some counter- 
feits, should give rise to some errors, and should 
possess some morbid states, is not surprising ; and, 
further, that these states should have a considerable 
influence on the physical and moral health of large 



384 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

masses, is only what should be expected. We 
perceive this on a great variety of occasions ; one of 
the simplest is perhaps that of yawning, and there 
are few who have not experienced the irresistible 
impulse to this unfortunate state, merely from 
seeing others yawn. It is a well-known fact to 
medical men, that such is this propensity in many 
states of the nervous temperament, particularly in 
females, that the same form of hysterical malady will 
become prevalent in a community, where no such 
tendency previously existed ; and that from the 
occurrence of a single case. Thus there are imita- 
tive diseases : the attacks of hysteria and epileps}^ 
may often be imitated, and that too successfully, so 
that the deception answers. This exists when there 
is a sinister object to accomplish, and therefore a 
desire to cultivate the invasion of such malady. Here 
the will and the mind are concerned : but the same 
propensity to imitation, will be found sometimes 
independently of the will, and occasionally despite 
its utmost efforts. In these cases, the impression 
seems to have been made upon the nervous fibre ; 
and, as we have said, the faculty of imitation pre- 
cedes reason and reflection, the mobility is commu- 
nicated directly to the muscular nerves, before the 
mind has had time to call its intellectual resources 
into active operation. In these cases we should 
pity, not blame. 

The moral influence of this faculty is also largely 
operative ; there is an instinctive inclination to imi 
tate those with whom we are associated ; and it is 



OF BODY AND MIND. 385 

only by calling into active operation the strength 
of good principle, that we can escape from the con- 
tagious influence of those around us. It is easy to 
swim with the stream, but it requires a high degree 
of moral courage to attempt to stem the torrent ; 
to dare to be singular ; to be firm and unbending in 
the midst of parties which court our favour by their 
attractions. It is very important to know when to 
arrest this propensity to imitation, and how far to 
yield our assent to the common modes of thought 
and action current among men. Such is the power 
of the instinctive principle, that it was clearly 
the design of the Omnipotent Creator, that man 
should imitate his fellow-man ; and, therefore, 
the faculty should only be repressed when its 
exercise interferes with some principle of action, 
some boundary of right or wrong ; it should be 
a rare occurrence, when man finds it necessary 
to separate himself in conduct from his fellows ; 
but when the occasion does present itself, he 
should do so unsparingly, unshrinkingly, uncom- 
promisingly. 

In these days, perhaps, it is scarcely possible to 
pass over the influence of this faculty, in bringing 
about many of the great revolutions of the world : 
it is this which has made armies invincible, and 
given a panic to others ; which has made them flee, 
when none pursued : it is this which has given 
currency to opinions of misrule and lawlessness, 
and a con tarn pt of authority, which threatens to 
overturn our most cherished institutions : it is this 

c c 



386 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

which forms the bond of union and action among: 
our Chartists and Socialists ; and it is this, which 
uncontrolled will subvert order, sap the foundations 
of society, and drive us back from civilisation into 
anarchy and confusion. May God protect us, and 
avert this evil ! 



OF BODY AND MIND. 387 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ON THE MORBID MANIFESTATIONS OF MIND, DE- 
PENDENT UPON CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF THE 
BRAIN : MENTAL DISEASE. 

We Lave already mentioned the " tyranny of 
organic suggestions ;" we have combated the 
opinion, that man was not responsible for thoughts 
originating in some part of his organisation ; we 
have shown that he is minutely answerable for 
every atom of his conduct, because he is placed in 
a situation to be superior to his physical system, 
and to restrain or repress its propensities. We 
again recur to this subject ; first, for the purpose of 
marking it as the simplest form of disturbed mental 
manifestation, depending on impressions made 
upon the body ; secondly, for the purpose of incul- 
cating the necessity for watching against these sug- 
gestions ; and, thirdly, that we may encourage 
those who suffer much from their recurrence, and 
whose feeble will renders them an easy prey to the 
impulse of passion. 

First, were man to follow the suggestions of his 

c c 2 



388 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

appetites, uncontrolled by reason, unawed by con- 
sequences, ignorant of responsibility, careless of 
character, and uninfluenced by religious motive 
and sanction, he would degenerate to the lowest 
animal, and he would be worse than the beast, in 
proportion to his power to injure, by calling into 
action all the extent of his resources, his knowledge, 
his skill, his prudence, his foresight, and all the 
formidable array of mental power which he pos- 
sesses : and then this beautiful world would be- 
come the prey to remorseless impiety. It is easy 
for the reader to conceive the infinite evils which 
would arise from such a state of things ; but the 
details would be scarcely fitted for the public eye ; 
we shall therefore exemplify our position only by 
the simple appetite of hunger. 

The desire for food is imperative ; and where 
man has it within his reach, it is easily and pro- 
perly gratified. But suppose he has no food with 
which to satisfy its cravings : his neighbour has an 
abundance of food : nature created food for man ; 
it never intended that the goods of fortune should 
be unequally divided ; therefore the hungry man 
has a right to the superabundant food possessed by 
his neighbour : and even if that neighbour have 
not a superabundance , but only a bare sufficiency, 
still the hungry man has a right to it, if he can 
obtain it, because it is one of nature's universal 
laws, that the stronger should feed upon the weaker. 
If then food can be obtained upon easy terms, 
welll if not, it must be obtained by violence. If 
it can be stolen from its possessor, this would be 



OF BODY AND MIND. 389 

easier, and therefore better; but if not, the arm of 
might must be employed to overcome the power of 
right, the violence must be proportioned to the re- 
sistance ; and if that resistance be great, it must 
be overcome by still greater exertion, to be limited 
only by that which is necessary for acquisition ; 
and this, even though at the expense of the life of 
the possessor ; for after all, " what is life ?" It is 
only a state which may be enjoyed by one, or by 
another ; but to which no one has a greater right 
than another, and to which he has the greatest right, 
who can best protect it ; so that if Jam to starve, or 
my neighbour be killed in the effort to save myself 
from hunger, his life rather than mine must be the 
sacrifice. Thus the apparently simple want of 
hunger, leads, if uncontrolled, to the overturning 
all the important barriers of society, and legislation, 
and morals ; and the greatest crimes are committed, 
if they stand in the way of the gratification of 
selfish desire. And if this be the case under cir- 
cumstances in which passion is not involved, how 
much more where every barrier is swept away at 
once by its resistless torrent ! 

How great then is the necessity for watching over 
the influence of these suggestions, of subduing the 
principle of selfishness, of calling into action its 
antagonist principle of benevolence, and the influ- 
ence of all the laws of God and man, in order that 
all the functions of the body may be subjected to the 
superior influence of mind ; and that man may live 
in the constant and habitual practice of that self- 
denial which will alone enable him to escape from 



390 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

this tyranny. But this is religion ! and it is even 
so : the animal will claim the supremacy, unless the 
spiritual nature shall have been disciplined ; and 
by God's grace shall have been placed under the 
dominion of virtuous suggestion. But this involves 
a series of acts of self-denial ; a constant struggling 
with all the lower feelings and propensities, and a 
uniform cultivation of that love to one's neighbour, 
which is the second great commandment. In 
attempting this, the power of the will must be cul- 
tivated, and brought into constant exercise, or it 
will soon become feeble and vacillating ; it will 
parley — and it is already undone so far as regards 
firmness of purpose. 

Thirdly, this subject affords encouragement for 
those who suffer most from the tyranny of the body. 
We are treading on tender ground ; and we are 
particularly desirous to comfort the feeble-minded, 
but not to give countenance to the indolent ; it is to 
those who suffer from the tyranny of the body to 
whom we offer encouragement, not to those who care- 
lessly avail themselves of this tyranny, as a ground 
of excuse for their , indolence and delinquencies ; 
or to those who willingly, cheerfully, and know- 
ingly indulge all the suggestions of body, and ab- 
solutely luxuriate in their own weakness. To these, 
the condemnation of neglected talent, perverted 
power, abused mercy, and wilful contumacy will 
attach. It is always to be remembered, that the 
body is subservient to the mind ; and that this sub- 
jection, though not perfect, is to be constantly en- 
larged and extended. It is also to be remembered, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 391 

that in our present perverted state of being, there is 
a principle of evil, constantly and rebelliously at 
work against this subjection. So long, therefore, as 
man is an imperfect creature, so long will the 
government of the body, by the mind, be imperfect ; 
and so long will the suggestions of the body inter- 
fere with the finest properties of the christian 
character, check the growth of christian principle, 
repress the developement of christian virtue, and 
shrivel the expansion of christian feeling. At 
every period of the day, and under all circum- 
stances, particularly those where it is desirable to 
get rid of body and its connexions ; upon every 
such occasion, will its suggestions become promi- 
nent, will becloud the intellect, pervert the judg- 
ment, and render cold the heart. Still the spiritual 
principle is constantly opposed to these suggestions ; 
they are never tolerated — much less indulged ; they 
are fought against with all the weapons of this holy 
warfare — they are watched over and opposed : and 
while this is the case ; while the Christian is con- 
scious that he is doing his utmost to bring the body 
into subjection, though he may lament his deficien- 
cies, and his want of success, yet if his opposition has 
been sincere, he will escape from the burden of 
self-reproach. But if his conscience tell him, that 
he has supinely allowed himself to be enslaved by 
his animal desires, there is no rest for him at all. 
His security and happiness consist in opposition ; 
his certainty of being overcome — his helplessness, 
his miserable remorse, are the sure result of supine- 
ness and inaction; of listening to the voice of 



392 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

passion, of being found sleeping at his post, and of 
being surprised into obedience to the tyranny of his 
organic suggestions. 

Sleep, though it must not be called a morbid 
condition of the brain, is one of those states which 
thoroughly suspends the manifestations of mind, 
and therefore itself, and its morbid conditions, 
become objects of inquiry. The phenomena of 
sleep are in themselves very curious ; and the 
analogous sleep of plants leads us to see that it is 
a universal law of nature, not applicable to animals 
only, but extending throughout the domain of 
active as well as of locomotive life. It is difficult 
to define what sleep is ; and these singular analo- 
gies of plants increase the difficulty, as it is by no 
means proved that plants possess a nervous system. 
Neither is it the stimulus of light which produces 
this effect, since some plants sleep by day, others 
at night, and others at different hours of the same 
day. There is, however, this kind of analogy, that 
in each case there is a suspension of active life ; 
only such an amount of action as is necessary to 
sustain life is continued, but not enough to exhibit 
its active manifestations. 

With regard to man, his sleep seems to depend 
upon a peculiar condition of the nervous system ; 
there is invariable disposition to sleep when that 
system is oppressed ; and if the oppression be con- 
siderable, the sleep is unconquerable, and not to be 
superseded ; while in the opposite state of irrita- 
bility it is almost impossible to woo sleep, so 
completely gone does it seem to the unfortunate 



OF BODY AND MIND. 393 

patient. This condition is not always a morbid 
state, but is accompanied by a degree of excite- 
ment of the brain, of an agreeable character, and 
the patient will pass weeks of almost entire wake- 
fulness, and yet not be the worse for it. During 
this time, intellectual activity is augmented, but 
not so the power for long-sustained movement ; 
and unless great care be taken, the functions of 
organic life generally suffer for this undue expen- 
diture of intellectual energy. 

It seems that a certain amount of sleep is gene- 
rally desirable, but that this differs much in differ- 
ent individuals. It is one of nature's universal 
laws, that every organ must have its period of 
rest, and sleep is the rest of the brain, during 
which it accumulates nervous energy, and becomes 
again fitted for active employment. It is astonish- 
ing how little sleep will produce this effect of rest ; 
but the refreshment produced by transient sleep 
will not last long; it will soon become exhausted, 
and will require renewal. After sleep, the brain 
should be active and energetic, and a feeling of 
comfort should pervade the system. 

There is a state of wretched drowsiness, which is 
not sleep, but which is almost equally fatal to 
intellectual usefulness and enjoyment ; and the 
literary man is happy indeed if he has not formed 
a large acquaintance with this tormenting foe to 
improvement; he may continue his labour, but it is 
without effect ; he may read or write, but there is no 
soul infused into either pursuit : there is a dulness of 
impression and apprehension which pervades the 



394 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

nervous system. Employment is a burden, and 
whatever is done, is done languidly and as a task. 
In this state, there can be no fine conceptions, no 
enlarged views, no delicate tact and perception of 
relative association ; and the best, though by no 
means a certain remedy, is to throw aside the 
books and papers, and indulge sleep. 

To this necessity of our nature, intellect re- 
luctantly yields obedience ; the hour of retiring is 
scarcely hailed as a boon ; and there is a prevail- 
ing regret that mind is so allied with matter that 
its energetic manifestations cannot be continued 
without an interval of repose. In perfectly natural 
sleep, the brain enjoys a period of entire quietude. 
What is the condition of the spiritual principle 
during this period of torpor of its organ we know 
not, and it is useless to inquire ; but it is probable 
that in this stage of our existence the mind is also 
quiescent during the time of healthy and perfect 
sleep. But it may not be so ; the functions of organic 
life are continued, though unconsciously — respira- 
tion proceeds — the chest is alternately heaved and 
compressed — the heart carries on its wonted beat 
— digestion, assimilation, nutrition, secretion, all 
these functions are respectively carried on un- 
known, unnoticed, and there can be no reason 
why the spirit may not also be occupied without 
the cognisance of its organ. This beautiful pro- 
vision of nature, for the repair of exhausted ner- 
vous energy, without which no one of the bodily 
functions could be long continued, and more espe- 
cially for the refreshment of intellect, is one in 




OF BODY AND MIND. 395 

which intelligence seems laid aside ; the subject 
appears as if dead, and to all intents and purposes 
is temporarily dead, though preparing for an in- 
vigorated resuscitation. 

There are various morbid conditions of sleep, 
which it is necessary to notice, because they are 
connected with perverted manifestations of mind. 
One of the most important of these is dreaming. 
Various hypotheses have at different times obtained 
currency with regard to dreaming, and many of 
these are more or less dependent upon the assump- 
tion that it is a mental process ; nay, more, it has 
been quoted as a proof of the immortality of the 
soul : these opinions are much to be regretted, as 
they afford to the materialist and the atheist 
strongholds which they would not otherwise pos- 
sess. 

Now dreaming is not a phenomenon of mind ; 
if it were so, it would partake the qualities of 
mind. Yet nothing can be more true, than that 
in dreaming there is no just perception — no real 
knowledge — no accurate memory — no consequen- 
tial association — no consecutive reasoning — no 
well-weighed judgment ; but that, on the contrary, 
the perception of impressions is always perverted ; 
the knowledge of things is anything but the truth ; 
the memory of by-gone circumstances is jumbled 
in inextricable confusion ; the associations are of 
the most absurd, and fantastic, and impossible 
description ; the reasoning, if any, is dependent 
upon these associations, and the conclusions are 
unspeakably absurd, while the judgment is as op- 



396 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

posite as possible to any such mental state. It is 
then worse than inconsequential to speak of dream- 
ing as a state or condition of the mind ; it is 
entirely resulting from a peculiar condition of the 
brain, and this condition depends upon the irrita- 
tion of some of its fibres. 

This irritation may arise primarily in itself, or 
secondarily, from the sympathetic irritation of 
some distant organ ; and in accordance with their 
origin, dreams will assume the shape of " Past 
feelings renovated ;" of recollected impressions; of 
the fantastic grouping of thoughts or anxieties 
which have occupied the attention previously ; of 
the morbid irritation of some portion of the brain, 
giving origin to visions of an untraceable cha- 
racter ; or of impressions made upon the brain, 
through one of the organs of sense ; or through the 
unwonted or disordered action of some other organ, 
not immediately an organ of sense. 

It would not be difficult to obtain something 
like a classification of dreams under this kind of 
arrangement, having for their primal root irrita- 
tion of the brain ; thus — 

a. Dreams arising from the renovation of past 
feelings. At some anterior date, powerful impres- 
sions have been made upon the affective feelings, 
and in a state of imperfect sleep these are called 
up, from the irritation of those cerebral fibres 
upon which that impression was originally made, 
not always in a simple uncompounded form, but 
with a character more or less varied, yet always 
exhibiting the original root. Thus the author, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 397 

when a boy, was subjected to a very thoughtless 
but fearful accident, through the mischievous in- 
tention of his brother, and this impression, during 
sleep, has been called up many, many times since, 
even to the present day. 

b. Dreams arising from the recollection of past 
impressions. This is a frequent source of dream- 
ing ; and these impressions may have been very 
varied in their character, very distant in time and 
place, and very different in their nature and object ; 
in fact, they may have been anything in the wide 
range of personal history ; nay, it must have hap- 
pened to everybody, to observe that the recollection 
of dreams will serve as the basis of future dreams ; 
so that the individual so dreaming shall be per- 
fectly conscious of finding himself in a situation 
and under circumstances which have previously 
occurred to him in sleep, but of which he has no 
waking recollection, and with which he has no 
kind of association, clearly tracing back the origin 
of this form of dreaming to irritation of the cerebral 

fibre. 

c. Another fruitful source of dreaming is to be 
found in the thoughts and anxieties of the preced- 
ing day, or of some antecedent period, which are 
revived during the night, but which, in consequence 
of the brain having lost the harmonising influence 
of the reason and judgment, are thrown together in 
a maze of inextricable confusion, and yet possessing 
sufficient cohesion to show that the original germ 
may be traced back to preceding cerebral occupa- 
tion. 



398 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

d. The brain itself may have become the seat 
of irritation, either generally over its surface, or 
throughout its substance, or only partially through 
a few, or through many of its fibres : and this 
irritation may be very varied in its character ; it 
may arise from simple worry, from a series of those 
contre-temps which often happen to annoy, and 
which are frequently in themselves of a very slight 
aspect ; or it may arise from exhaustion — from the 
brain's action having been too great or too long 
continued ; or it may be the product of fever, or 
of any similar disturbing cause which acts upon 
the brain primarily ; or that organ may itself be 
subjected to incipient, but deep-seated, and, if un- 
controlled, disorganising mischief; all of which 
causes will be fruitful sources of dreaming, and of 
dreams infinitely varied in character and intensity, 
from the trifling instance of some mere perplexity, 
to the highest complication of unheard-of horrors. 

e. Lastly, dreams may arise from impressions 
made upon an organ of sense ; or through the un- 
wonted or disordered action of some other organ, 
not immediately an organ of sense. 

Thus a change of temperature during the night, 
or that kind of restlessness which has led to throw- 
ing off the bedclothes ; or an uneasy position from 
whatever cause, or a sound communicated to the 
ear ; or a sudden light being thrown in ; or the 
olfactory or gustatory nerves becoming impressed 
from an exterior or interior cause, will occasion 
dreaming ; as also will hunger, or thirst, or indi- 
gestion, or disordered respiration, or bile, producing 



OF BODY AND MIND. 399 

irritation of the liver ; or any other uneasiness, 
excess, or defect, or even unwonted action (though 
natural in its proper time and place) of any organ 
or function of the body ; these all will occasion 
dreams, and dreams of a peculiar character, though 
our knowledge is not yet sufficiently advanced to 
assign that peculiarity of character to the specific 
organ or function disordered ; nor to the particular 
character of such organic or functional disturbance, 
varied as that must be in its origin, and circum- 
stances, and degree, and intensity. 

Yet all these originations of dreaming agree in 
the one simple point towards which they all con- 
verge, viz. in producing irritation of the brain, as 
varied, indeed, as the cause to which they owe their 
origin, yet being in every instance irritation. 
There is here, too, ample and satisfactory ground 
for explaining every dream. There is no necessity 
for carrying the inquiry further ; since to one 
or other of these heads may every phenomenon of 
dreaming be referred. 

To adopt the hypothesis, therefore, that dream- 
ing is a phenomenon of mind, is as absurd as it is 
unphilosophical ; and, more than this, it is de- 
grading ; for if dreaming be the pure actings of 
mind left uncontrolled, of what character must that 
mind be^ whose spiritual actings are of so absurd, 
so incongruous, so irrational, so weak, and so 
wicked a manifestation? What, indeed, would 
be the probable character of heaven, if peopled 
with minds, whose uncontrolled actings produce 
effects like these ? To suppose for dreaming, there- 



400 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

fore, any other than a cerebral cause is unphilo- 
sophical, because unnecessary ; but it is mischievous 
in its consequences, because it degrades spiritual 
man from his own level to that of the inferior 
animals. 

But perhaps we shall have some highly-valued 
friend and ally, still clinging to the spiritual hypo- 
thesis of dreaming ; and that, too, upon the sup- 
position that it affords evidence of the immortality 
of the soul, from its unceasing action. Now were 
this admitted as a fact, we should say that we have 
already shown the character of the actions of such 
soul; and we apprehend, that none will wish to 
claim immortality for such actings. Yet if these 
be the uncontrolled promptings of spirit, when the 
body is asleep, they must show the nature of that 
spirit ; and therefore it is not unfair to accept them 
as offering such demonstration ; and loaded with 
such consequences, none but an infidel — none but 
he who wishes to blot out an hereafter from the 
sacred page of truth, will be willing to take dreams 
as the offspring of spirit, or as evidence of an im- 
mortal nature. 

Take for an instant the high qualities of mental 
operation, during the waking hours, and contrast- 
ing them with the phenomena of dreaming, it will 
be seen, that the latter are wanting in the mani- 
festations of the former ; it will be seen that there 
is no reason, no reflection, no judgment, no com- 
parison, no mental will; the images presented 
follow each other without legitimate sequence, and 
by associations over which we have no control. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 401 

But if the phenomena of dreaming present attri- 
butes which are not according to the workings of 
spirit, and if they are deficient in the necessary 
attributes of mind, the conclusion is surely irre- 
sistible, that they are not mental processes, and 
only possess that semblance because they are pro- 
duced by irritation of the organ of mind. The 
term mental will has been employed designedly 
because in some dreams there is a great appearance 
of volition, as in sleep-walking, or talking, or 
changing the position ; or in offensive or defensive 
or fearful movements, according to the character 
of the dream. But on close investigation it will 
be seen, that all these are imperfect ; they possess 
bodily but not mental volition ; the speech is in- 
distinct, confused, and imperfect, and the other 
movements partake the same character. 

But again, dreaming is a morbid action, never 
existing in the best state of health, and always to 
be found when the body is disordered, and es- 
pecially, perhaps, when that disorder affects the 
digestive organs, because of their intimate sym- 
pathy with the brain. The dreams of feverish 
sleep, the nightmare of hot suppers, the visions, 
the voices of impending malady, are familiarly 
known and expected ; the sleep of health is not 
scared by uneasy dreams, while the pillow of the 
invalid is as certainly haunted by broken slumbers, 
and all the fearful imagery of an irritated brain. 
The author has elsewhere asserted, and he now 
repeats the assertion, that the character of dreams 
is impressed by the position and connexion of the 

D D 



402 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

disturbed organ ; and that the time will come, 
when dreams will be classified according to that 
disturbed organ ; and, when reasoning inversely, 
the irritated organ will admit of being predicated 
from the character of the dreams. 

In every such case, dreaming is produced by the 
uneasy state of some one organ, whose function 
is more or less disturbed ; and by this disturbance, 
the extremities of nerves with which it is supplied, 
are also irritated ; this irritation is propagated 
backwards to their origin ; certain fibres of the 
brain's structure partake this distant organic irri- 
tation, and dreaming is the consequence. 

Thus, then, dreaming is a purely physical pro- 
cess ; and although upon the principle above-men- 
tioned, the character of the dream is dependent 
upon irritation of nervous fibre; yet it will often- 
times partake that of impressions made during the 
waking hours. Still, it is irritation of nervous 
fibre — not mental action — which forms its essential 
characteristic ; and the ethereal spirit of man has 
actually nothing more to do with dreaming than 
that it is associated with the brain, and that, during 
waking, the brain is its manifesting organ, and its 
servant. 

It has been alleged as a proof of the mental origin 
of dreams, that the process is so rapid — so far too 
rapid for any bodily operation, that it must be 
mental, spiritual, partaking of that action which 
is unclogged by matter, unimpeded by time, and 
unimpaired by space. But this argument really 
avails nothing, although the premises were granted, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 403 

viz. that in dreaming the process is infinitely more 
rapid than in thought ; so that a very long dream 
may be passed through in an instant of time, — in 
a space infinitely too small for a similar operation 
of mind. 

The truth is, that the action of the brain, when 
dissociated from the mind, is far more rapid, than 
when under its control ; that so long as it is under 
the dominion of judgment, there must be a certain 
space of time, though confessedly a small one, to 
•perceive the impressions, to reason upon and com- 
pare them — to judge of their truth or falsehood — 
to consider their relative connexions — to weio'h 
their importance — to decide upon the feeling, the 
doctrine, the opinion, which may arise out of such 
mental process ; and all this is unnecessary in 
dreaming. The impression is made directly or 
indirectly upon certain nervous fibres, and these are 
linked in with certain others which are, or even 
have been formerly associated, but in wild and 
inextricable confusion ; and in that fantastic kind 
of grouping, which happens from taking up any 
number of these irritated nervous fibres, at perfect 
hazard, and without the remotest except an acci- 
dental connexion — a connexion of contiguity only, 
—and even this is ever changing; the slightest 
movement of the body, a new impulse of the blood, 
or any other trivial cause, which will give a move- 
ment to the little broken bits of organic reminis- 
cences, so that the pattern of the kaleidoscope of 
life shall be changed, and shall be ever changing, 
till something occurs to put an end to the morbid 

d d 2 



404 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

action. Thus, then, it appears that the rapid action 
of dreaming is against, instead of in favour, of its 
being an intellectual process, since the one requires 
time for the developement of reasoning affinities, 
the other has none such to develope. 

Hence, in the phenomena of dreaming there is 
no mental manifestation ; and conversely tried by 
this test, it will be found, that no intellectual process 
will produce dreaming. To this may be objected 
the fact of waking dreams. We apprehend, that 
the objector would not admire the application of 
this doctrine to himself, or admit that at any time 
during his waking moments, his thoughts really 
assumed the wild fantasies of dreaming ; and if he 
did, we should know that such an one needed an 
asylum to preserve himself and others from risk. 
But the truth is, that waking dreams or reveries are 
not intellectual processes, and are sometimes in- 
dulged expressly in order to afford rest to the 
intellect, and to give the reins to the imagination. 
But the waking dreamer is conscious of his wander- 
ings, and may be recalled at will to the sober 
realities of life, and is ashamed of ever having 
deviated from them. It is a morbid, not a healthy 
process, and one, which if indulged in, has a most 
serious influence in weakening the powers of mental 
manifestation ; and, therefore, it cannot be that 
a healthy process of mental action can ever produce 
such disordered manifestations, so destructive to 
intellectual health, so injurious to the well-being 
of cerebral organisation. 

There are other analogous states of the brain, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 405 

depending upon certain morbid conditions of the 
system, as in that well-known form of delirium 
during fever, which consists in the incessant talking 
of the patient, and with the putting together of the 
most incoherent images, though oftentimes with 
something like a characteristic grouping. This 
is always done without effort and without injury; 
the patient seems rather amused with his own 
creations, and if allowed to pursue his own images 
uninterrupted by the kindness of injudicious friends, 
wishing to correct his erroneous impressions, he 
goes on ; no mental effort is required, no mental 
exhaustion follows; a proof that this process in- 
volves no mind, and that it is confined to simple 
irritation of nervous fibre. All that such patients 
require is to be watched, because the nerves of 
volition and locomotion may be disturbed, and 
they might get out of bed, or do other injury to 
themselves if unprotected. In this last word, lies 
the secret of management ; patients require pro tec- 
tion, not instruction, much less opposition. 

Sleep-walking very naturally follows, as another 
state of irritation of the brain. This invariably 
happens as the consequence of dreaming ; the con- 
gestion, fulness, or irritation of a distant organ, 
often gives rise to dreaming of an analogous cha- 
racter; and the associated muscles act, though 
independent of the will. Sometimes, under similar 
circumstances, muscular action seems to be sus- 
pended or impaired, as that of the diaphragm in 
some forms of nightmare, in which the sense of 
distress referred to this part is very great. So, 



406 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

when a dream may have irritated the voluntary 
and locomotive nerves, there is often a consequent 
action ; the patient is about to fly from some object 
of terror, or other pressing danger, and may thus 
walk out of the window, &c. Yet it is manifest in 
all this, that the mind is not alive to its dangers ; 
or it would not incur absolute risk to escape that 
which was imaginary, at least unless insane, a form 
of cerebral disorder which we shall notice pre- 
sently. In truth, there is simple irritation of 
nervous fibre, prompting to locomotion, and no- 
thing more ; the whole is a dream, but the irri- 
tation of nervous fibre is differently situated. 

There are some forms of hysteria which may 
not be passed over, in noticing disturbed mental 
manifestations, arising from irritation of the brain. 
It is probable, that every attempt to pierce the 
cloud which envelopes nervous action, and the 
connecting links which maintain the communi- 
cation between body and mind, will be unavailing. 
Yet there are constitutions in which the nervous 
temperament largely predominates, and in which 
the most extraordinary effects arise from appa- 
rently slight causes. Thus, for instance, under 
such circumstances, a slight mental emotion will 
be sufficient to alter, or even to suspend, the action 
of the heart, to produce violently-disordered res- 
piration ; to give rise to spasm of the voluntary 
and involuntary muscles ; to alter the character of 
the secretions ; to occasion violent pain where there 
is no apparent cause of pain ; to suspend the action 
of the brain, leaving the patient quite unconscious ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 407 

or to produce perverted manifestations of its 
action, as in involuntary crying and laughter ; 
or in altering the temper, disposition, and charac- 
ter of the individual ; or in producing that form 
of mental alienation, which, but for its short dura- 
tion, would be properly termed insanity. Pain 
in the head, of a peculiar character, remarkable 
for its violence, and from the small space to which 
it is referred, is a very common consequence of the 
hysterical paroxysm ; and yet all this shall pass, 
and in a few hours — perhaps in a few minutes — 
the patient shall be perfectly well again ; suffering 
only from languor and exhaustion. It is quite 
impossible to follow out the various bodily ailments 
which are dependent upon an hysterical condition 
of the nervous system, remarkable for the disturb- 
ance they produce at the time; for their great 
variety and frequent change of symptom ; and for 
their passing away, and leaving not a trace behind. 
All we wish to show is, how greatly the actions of 
body and manifestations of mind are perverted, 
by even a temporary and a slight functional dis- 
turbance of the centre of the nervous and sentient 
system. 

Again, in the very simple phenomenon of faint- 
ing, there is a temporary suspension of the action 
of the brain, by which all the functions of intelli- 
gence are interrupted by the mere failure of the 
heart to supply a sufficient quantity of blood to the 
head. And this, too, will sometimes be produced 
by a primary action upon the nervous system ; a 
sudden fright — an emotion of any kind— a disagree- 



408 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

able sight — a peculiar odour — a painful reminis- 
cence — an apprehensive foresight, will often pro- 
duce fainting, temporary death, during which there 
is a more or less complete suspension of the vital 
powers; and which, if not judiciously treated, has 
often terminated in real and positive death. A 
disposition to frequent fainting is not uncommon, 
though it may not amount to a complete suspension 
of action ; and this is a very painful state, as it 
tends most entirely to unfit its subject for thought, 
and other intelligent manifestation ; and yet not 
to take away the consciousness of such morbid 
condition. This is a state much to be deprecated, 
and one of the greatest mental suffering, in conse- 
quence of the extent to which the manifestations 
of mind are impaired while the patient remains 
feelingly alive to the change. 

There are other states of suspended animation 
which wear still more intimately the appearance 
of death, as in the consequences of drowning and 
other similar forms of suffocation. In these cases, 
the effect produced is purely cerebral ; it would be 
quite absurd to suppose, that the rational and 
intellectual thinking person were thus subjected 
to a kind of temporary annihilation. The truth is, 
that it is uninfluenced by these changes ; but its 
manifesting organ has become incapable of per- 
forming its duty ; the connecting link has been 
severed, and the manifestations of mind are no 
longer to be traced, because the manifesting organ 
is no longer capable of its function. 

So also, in apoplexy, it is seen, that the being 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



409 



who is this moment full of life and spirits, capable 
of the highest reach of intellect, devoted to literary 
pursuits, in the full tide of intellectual and spiritual 
purpose, in the most perfect enjoyment of the 
largest attributes of man, is suddenly, in a moment, 
arrested — is prostrate, unconscious — paralytic, 
with a mass of infirmities of the most painful 
order— imbecile or childish — the wreck of what 
he once was ; all his best feelings perverted — 
all his brilliant coruscations clouded — all his 
solid intellectual properties gone — ay, fled for ever ; 
and why ? Because the vessels of the brain have 
become congested — or perhaps a little clot of blood 
has been occasioned in some part of that organ ; 
for in the severe cases, death generally ensues in a 
few hours. Now, in all this sudden arrest of mental 
manifestation, it is not to be believed that the 
source of intellect is destroyed ; but only that the 
mode of communication is interrupted, and conse- 
quently the manifestations are not perceived ; it is 
the fault of the organ, which has undergone a 
change unfitting it for its function. 

The same results will occasionally happen from 
accident ; as from a blow upon the head, which 
without producing any serious mischief, may, and 
often does, in one instant suspend the manifestations 
of mind ; and in certain states of great debility and 
exhaustion from other causes, the brain ceases to 
be capable of carrying out its functions adequately ; 
its actions are often perverted ; and the mental 
manifestations become irritable, peevish, and vacil- 
lating, fretful, annoyed by trifles, driven from its 



4J0 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

own centre, and seriously intent upon frivolous or 
unmeaning pursuits. So also in other temporary 
disturbances of the body, as of the stomach, a very 
trifling alteration of action in that viscus is suffi- 
cient to overturn the healthy workings of mind, by 
irritating the nervous fibre, and thus giving rise 
to all sorts of dark and gloomy associations, and 
images, to illusions and hallucinations without end. 

In all these cases of irritation of the brain, whe- 
ther direct, as from some morbid action set up in 
itself; or indirect, as in some distant nervous irrita- 
tion, thrown back upon the brain ; or associated, as 
in the case of mental emotion first disturbing that 
organ, or giving rise to other visceral disturbances, 
which in its reflex influence destroys the equipoise 
of cerebral action : in all these cases, one and the 
same effect is produced ; the organ for the manifes- 
tation of mind has been rendered incapable of pur- 
suing its function ; and disorder or disease is the 
consequence. 

That this organic disturbance is not, however, 
a simple overturn of function on the part of the 
brain, that brain being considered as the final cause 
of thought, (or being the organ of which mentation 
is the function,) is shown by various arguments be- 
fore adduced ; and still further, by the internal 
consciousness which attends some of these states of 
suspended animation. In many hysterical condi- 
tions of the system, and in some instances of faint- 
ing, it is quite certain, that although the manifes- 
tations of mind are suspended, the interior workings 
are still going on, as evinced by the patient pos- 






OF BODY AND MIND. 411 

sessing an entire recollection of all that has passed 
during the interval. 

The same is noticed in dreaming : though this 
process is going on, and the most incongruous 
images are presented, with all the vivid reality of 
truth ; yet the interior moi is conscious, that all 
this is only a dream, or manifestation of perverted 
action of the brain, not the over-action of mind 
communicated through that organic medium. 

So also in cases of suspended animation con- 
tinuing for a long time, the patient has been con- 
scious of the wailing of friends around his supposed 
corpse ; he has witnessed the preparations for his 
own interment ; and has had a knowledge of all the 
horrors which surrounded him, yet without having 
power enough over the manifesting organ to set it 
in motion. Now these things clearly show the 
distinction between presiding mind, and performing, 
or functional brain ; the latter is affected ; its office 
is disturbed — perverted, nay, annihilated, while the 
mind remains conscious of its integrity, of its own 
power, and of that power being insufficient to 
command the action of the nervous fibre. Proof 
cannot be more complete of the independent origin, 
yet mutually dependent function of mind and its 
subservient organ. 

But we turn to another part of this subject, the 
influence of the gradual decay of the organ upon 
the manifestations of mind. Painful as is this 
humiliating truth, it is nevertheless unquestionable ; 
and it involves much, and must therefore be ma- 
turely considered. Now, we perceive in watching 



412 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the manifestations of mind, that strength, and beauty, 
and power, and extent of these manifestations, is by 
no means to be found at the earlier part of life, nor 
even in the highest maturity of the body, but per- 
haps some ten or fifteen years after that body has 
passed its zenith, and has been declining. Again, 
then, we infer the mutual independence of essence, of 
body and mind ; because the maturity of the two 
do not correspond ; and because, so long as we have 
an opportunity of watching the manifestations of 
mind, before actual decay of the manifesting organ 
has commenced, we see these manifestations still 
progressing, still ripening, and we infer their capa- 
city for a still onw r ard reach ; and we who believe 
in continued existence beyond the present, look 
upon this as a state of progressive advance towards 
a condition of life, infinitely superior in intellectual 
and affective developement. 

But this continuous progress is obscured in the 
great majority of instances, at least, leaving only a 
sufficient number of exceptions to prove the truth of 
the rule ; we see a cloud drawn over the manifesta- 
tions of mind ; decay of the manifesting organ has set 
in, and whatever may be the mental progress, w T e no 
longer perceive it ; the light of mental life is gra- 
dually quenched in the twilight and sunset of bodily 
vigour. 

This change will occur in different individuals, 
at very varying periods of life. In some, in whom 
the nervous fibre has been originally feeble, or in 
whom it has been intensely stretched by deep 
thought, by anxious solicitude, by the misery of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 413 

domestic trial, by the turmoil of passion, or by the 
stirring events and associations of party and of poli- 
tics, the approach of this state of decay will be 
visible at a much earlier period. So, also, when 
the brain has been irritated by intemperance of any 
kind, or where it has been goaded into action by 
the excitement of wine, spirits, opium, &c, its 
wretched imbecility will be precociously found. 

Yet, under all circumstances, when the strictest 
care has been taken to maintain the vigour of 
the brain itself, and of all the associated organs 
and functions, and when that brain has also origi- 
nally been a strong one, even here, a gra- 
dual decay does take place. Perhaps this is first 
noticed by the individual, in his having less power 
to command the faculty of attention ; he is obliged 
more frequently to read, and re-read his author, 
before he can appropriate his meaning ; not that 
the thing is difficult, but that, as he says and feels, 
he cannot give his mind to it ; meaning, that he can- 
not direct the attention of the brain upon the object 
of pursuit ; or, that that brain has lost power and 
obedience ; in other words, that decay has com- 
menced. 

Theloss of the power of collecting and concentrating 
the thoughts soon follows. It is impossible to think 
closely without the habit of concentration ; and 
hence it will be found, that old persons take partial 
views of subjects and opinions, and become much 
attached to their own views, with very little reason 
to support them ; and precisely because they 
cannot concentrate their thoughts on the object in 



414 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

question, so as to take in at once, enlarged and 
accurate views of the subject : these views, in fact, 
become more prejudices than results drawn from 
accurate and just argumentation : and, by degrees, 
as the shadows of even-tide thicken, the aged become 
the easy prey of the best casuist. 

The consciousness of this loss of power, leads to 
considerable peevishness and irritability ; the aged 
become impatient of contradiction, and without 
being able to render a reason for their own opinions, 
they very much dislike the accuracy of their con- 
clusions to be impugned, and are disposed to sub- 
stitute petulance for argument. In fact, a con- 
sciousness of weakness leads to a demonstration of 
irritability, rather than to an acknowledgment of 
inability to cope with reasoning. 

One step further, and this diminished power 
over the action of the brain is supplanted by that 
organ becoming rebellious, escaping the control of 
the mind, and listening to, and acted upon by, its 
own suggestions. These suggestions are by the 
supposition involuntary; that is, they arise as a 
symptom of decaying vigour, and as a proof that 
the brain ceases to occupy its proper place in the 
animal economy, and to be that efficient servant of 
mind, which is according to the perfect order of 
nature. The bordering of these involuntary sugges- 
tions upon the varying forms of insanity, in the 
production of illusions, hallucinations, &c, will be 
readily seen, and will be more particularly noticed 
in a subsequent page. 

At present it is only necessary to state, that these 






OF BODY AND MIND. 415 

symptoms of decay assume a very different form, 
according to the existing state of the constitution, 
and to the preceding habits of the patient. And it 
is perhaps one of the most difficult problems of 
medical science, to distinguish between symptoms 
which arise from exhaustion, and those which are 
produced by oppression. Yet it is of great import- 
ance to determine, since the mode of treatment 
peculiarly adapted to either would be prejudicial to 
the other. 

The appearances of decay vary in some pretty 
distinct features, accordingly as they arise from 
exhaustion of the brain, or from congestion of its 
vessels ; from sensorial torpor or irritability ; from 
sluggish or excited vascular action ; or perhaps, 
more than all, from nervous irritation, accompa- 
nied by an undefined apprehension of coming or 
impending evil, which makes the patient hesitat- 
ing, uncertain in his determination, and much 
given to change. We will endeavour to trace 
some distinctive peculiarities according to the 
prevalence of one or other of these states. 

a. In exhaustion of the brain, there is commonly 
a sense of distress about the head, oftentimes severe 
headache, accompanied by a quick pulse— the pulse 
of effort — with corresponding vascular action 
about the head ; great disposition to wakefulness : 
the patient is painfully conscious that his brain 
requires absolute rest, and yet he is scared by un- 
easy broken slumbers, much dreaming, and a 
thousand waking fancies ; the studious employ- 



416 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

merit of the brain is very onerous, and aggravates 
the symptoms. 

b. In congestion of the brain, the characteristic 
feature is torpor, and diminished sensibility to 
impression; there is a dull heavy weight about 
the head, and oftentimes giddiness ; the pulse 
is slow, full, and labouring ; there is a great feel- 
ing of weakness, amounting in some cases to 
entire prostration of strength : the patient is very 
sleepy, — the sleepiness is oppressive during the 
day, and uninterrupted during the night ; the 
brain is benefited by some exertion, and especially 
by bodily exercise ; and it even supports intel- 
lectual action with advantage, provided it be not 
too great; the perceptions are dull, and there is a 
great disposition to contemplate the gloomy side of 
circumstances and events. 

c. In sensorial torpor, which is by no means 
always dependent upon congestion, though some- 
times connected with it, there is considerable altera- 
tion of mental manifestation ; and since in the 
earlier stages there is not much visible malady, 
the unfortunate patient very generally gets blamed 
for something wrong in his morale. Thus a 
prevailing indolence of manner and conduct is 
often ascribed to the want of mental industry, 
when it is occasioned by physical infirmity ; the 
patient lies in bed, when he ought to be up ; he 
will be found indolently lounging upon his sofa, 
when he ought to be studying ; the letter-writing 
of to-day will be postponed till to-morrow ; the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 417 

ride, the walk, the errand of charity, the matter 
of business, will be all subjected to a similar pro- 
crastination ; there is the absence of interest in all 
he says and does ; he appears to want the proper 
amount of relative and social feeling ; and he is 
inattentive to the wants, the desires, the entreaties 
of those around him. By-and-bye, cerebral ma- 
lady stands out in full force ; the cause of all this 
alteration of character becomes acknowledged ; 
the deepening shades of sensorial torpor lead to 
much physical infirmity, and then to the gradual 
extinction of life. This state is very generally the 
result of great over-action of the brain, which ter- 
minates in the loss of nervous power, and in a 
slow but disorganising alteration of some portion 
of its substance. 

d. Precisely opposed to this state is the form of 
irritable brain. This seems to be dependent also 
upon some preceding unwonted action, during 
which the fibre is rendered too susceptible to im- 
pression, and the brain has not power enough to 
control that irritability. The subject of this state 
feels excessively the merest trifles ; he does not 
brood over them as in torpor, but he is rendered 
quick — irritable — irascible — easily wounded— prone 
to take offence, and always seems to be on the 
qui vive for something to awaken this irritability. 
It is difficult to preserve such a temperament in 
good-humour with himself and others ; and the 
actions resulting from this state, too generally 
betray want of thought and judgment. 

e. A simple alteration in the circulating fluid 

E E 



418 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

will occasion a considerable difference in the ma- 
nifestations of mind, and this without producing 
congestion on the one hand, or inflammatory 
action on the other, but only that kind either of 
slow or of excited vascular action, which is quite 
compatible with ordinary health. This may be 
characteristic of the individual, and as such may 
be called constitutional; or it may exist for a 
time only, and be occasioned by some great phy- 
sical, moral, or mental cause. If the vascular 
action be excited, the brain receives more blood 
than its function requires, besides the mechanical 
movement which it derives from the frequently 
repeated impulsion of that fluid upon its fibre, 
through the infinitely minute ramifications of the 
arterial system. The consequence of this is, an 
excited state of the organ ; the ideas flow rapidly ; 
the conceptions are more brilliant ; the imagina- 
tion is more fertile ; the perception is more acute, 
the feelings intense, the judgment more accurate; 
and if this state be preserved within the boundary 
line of health, good is produced. But it is a dan- 
gerous pinnacle, rarely lasts long, and is com- 
monly succeeded by that sluggish action of the 
veins, which results from their having received 
more than their ordinary supply during this stage 
of excitement, and having gradually lost their 
power of getting fairly quit of it in due time for 
the next quantity. The result is this ; the want of 
action in the veins is for the time supplied by a 
little more energy in the arteries, superseding by 
the vis a tergo the diminished action in the veins. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 419 

But it is more than can be accomplished by such 
effort; and the arterial action becomes accommo- 
dated to the slow venous movement, always sup- 
posing- that actual disease has not been produced. 
And now the ideas become obtuse ; they are diffi- 
cultly elaborated. Reading is a burden ; every 
cerebral effort is marked by painfulness ; the 
student, the author, drags heavily through his 
work ; it is done, but done with effort, without 
animation, badly done ; there is much disposition 
to drowsiness, which is not easily removed, accom- 
panied by a great deal of general languor, a pre- 
vailing indifference and distaste for thought, and a 
feeble, hesitating, vacillating, and ever-changing 
judgment. 

f. Lastly, we notice an undefined form of ner- 
vous irritation, accompanied by an apprehension 
of impending evil. It is probably difficult to con- 
ceive any great effect to be produced upon the 
nervous fibre, without involving at least some con- 
siderable alteration in the vascular action. And 
we fully admit that considerable vascular disturb- 
ance may exist ; but if it be so, it is not cognizable. 
And it is quite certain that in many of the heavier 
forms of cerebral disorder there may be Icesion of 
nervous fibre producing paralysis, where there 
shall not have previously existed any remarkable 
vascular disturbance, and where it shall not even 
exist at the time, except as a consequence of such 
injury. And if this be the case in instances of 
graver Isesion, and the fibres may be actually torn 
without much vascular excitement, it follows that 

e e 2 



420 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE ? 

much irritation of nervous fibre may exist without 
a corresponding vascular change. Experience 
supports this reasoning, for it is not uncommon 
to find this kind of patient exceedingly nervous, 
absurdly fearful, as it might be called — too diffident 
to act — too distrustful to be firm — too wavering to 
be relied upon, and with a prevailing expectation 
of future evil, — that evil, varying in character from 
the common ills of life, its disorders and its trou- 
bles, to the highest possible evil to fallen man, viz. 
his exclusion from the hope of forgiveness, of hap- 
piness, of heaven. 

The present may be a fit moment for observing, 
that all these states of disordered brain are pecu- 
liarly liable to spectral illusions, to hallucinations, 
and to varying forms of insanity. There is still 
so great a belief in the mental origin of these forms 
of cerebral disturbance, that it is necessary to notice 
them particularly. 

Spectral illusions are generally dependent upon 
irritation of the brain, produced either by something 
wrong in itself, by impending important disease, 
or by the actual presence of some organic irritation 
sufficient to prevent its healthy function. Spectral 
illusions may, however, be produced in several 
ways. In order to the completion of correct sen- 
sation, and of its perception by the mind, there 
must be first a healthy organ of sense, upon which 
the impression must be made ; the nerves which 
transmit that impression must be healthy ; and the 
brain which accepts, perceives, and appropriates 
that impression, must be healthy. If any one of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 421 

these links be faulty, illusion is produced. If, 
for instance, the expanded retina be unhealthy, 
unreal objects may be perceived ; if the optic nerve 
be unsound, the impression correctly made upon the 
retina may be perverted in its transmission to the 
brain ; and even if all shall have gone on well 
hitherto, and the brain be only pre-occupied, it 
will not perceive at all, but the impression will 
pass unheeded ; and if it shall have been subjected 
to any form of disorder, illusions of various kinds 
will be produced. These vary considerably ; but 
they may be expected, wherever any one of these 
links is defective, or in a state of irritation : and 
especially that form of disturbed cerebral move- 
ment, which consists in spectral illusions, very 
generally originates with the third, or last link, in 
this chain of organic causation. 

It is, therefore, treading very closely, and may, 
perhaps, almost be said to blend intimately with that 
form of cerebral error which has been termed hal- 
lucination. It has been considered, and perhaps 
with justice, that this is not an error of impression 
upon the organ of sense ; nor a perversion of that 
impression on its way back to the sentient prin- 
ciple, but that it originates in the brain, and is 
altogether unconnected with the organ of sense. 
The brain is irritated in some of the various ways, 
to which we have already described its liability, 
and it is so, either immediately by some commo- 
tion within itself, or by the sudden conversion of 
some other form of disorder ; or by sympathy with 
the irritation of some distant organ. The second 



422 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

is a very remarkable form of disorder ; when some 
distant irritation ceases all at once, and is converted 
into cerebral malady, assuming, and unhappily 
often continuing in, the form of hallucination. If 
the original malady can be reproduced, the secon- 
dary evil will probably be relieved ; but when this 
cannot be the case, it remains oftentimes a per- 
manent but morbid modification of nervous action. 
We know not how this is produced, as we often 
are ignorant of final causes ; without, therefore, 
being too curious to pry into Nature's plans, be it 
ours, humbly and modestly, to obtain acquaintance 
with the effects, and to guard against them if pos- 
sible. 

In each of these cases, however, when hallucina- 
tion is once produced, the brain has escaped the 
province of reason ; argument is unavailing ; the 
organ is no longer submissive to mental authority ; 
it is no longer controlled by external realities ; it 
has escaped beyond the dominion of the external 
senses on the one hand, or of the presiding mind 
on the other ; there is no method of combating 
hallucination but by the subduction of every morbid 
cerebral action, whether immediate or sympathetic ; 
and, consequently, the first, the last, the only re- 
medy, is to watch over and direct the morbid action, 
till the brain re-assumes its healthy function, and 
puts an end to all the " perilous stuff, which dreams 
are made of." 

The course of our inquiry has brought us down 
to the extreme verge of reason, and to the, com- 
mencement of insanity, — a form of malady which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 423 

requires some little developement ; and first, we 
must notice some of the phenomena of cerebral 
disorder. But before doing so, we should just 
remark the disadvantage of calling this class of 
diseases mental, and therefore thinking and reason- 
ing, as if they were spiritual ailments. We have 
no objection to the term, if employed to designate 
disorders of the organ of mind ; but there is an 
evident confusion of idea on this subject, and often- 
times a misapprehension, by which it is understood, 
that the term is applicable to mental as contradis- 
tinguished from bodily disorder. There is also 
a prevailing dislike to acknowledge the present or 
past existence of any such malady in oneself, or 
one's connexions ; and, indeed, it is most carefully 
concealed as if some moral guilt or shame attached ; 
just as if it were a malady in any way differing 
from an affection of the stomach, or of any other 
organ of the body. This, however, arises from its 
being thought to be a disorder of the morale; and 
one which entails disgrace, rather than excites 
compassion towards the sufferer. 

It is allowed that no other bodily infirmity pro- 
duces an equal degree of misery to friends and re- 
latives, because it affects the organ devoted to the 
manifestations of mind, and strikes at once at all 
the powers and privileges of man. But it is not 
on this account that its wretched victims are to be 
treated as outcasts from society, and fitted only for 
incarceration ; the greater the amount of suffering, 
the more strenuous should be the effort to relieve 
it; and it should never be forgotten^ that these 



424 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

remedies should be twofold, of a physical and moral 
nature, so as to operate largely upon the disturbed 
organ, through the medium of its organisation and 
affinities. No other organ is so favourably situated 
for being acted upon ; yet on no other organ are 
mistakes so perpetually made : one set of reasoners 
employing only spiritual remedies and moral 
means ; the other utterly despising this treatment, 
and believing that nothing is to be done except by 
physical agency. As it has been said, the truth 
lies between the two ; and every person wishing to 
treat insanity properly, will not only seek to subdue 
the inordinate, or rouse the languid vascular action ; 
will not only seek to repair any injury to the 
nervous fibre ; but will likewise combat hallucina- 
tions, and substitute correct impressions — strengthen 
these impressions by judicious repetition — remove 
perverted trains of reasoning — replace them by 
correct ones — and give them the power and in- 
fluence of habit and frequent association. 

Unfortunately, perseverance, though a cardinal 
virtue in all that is good, does not often fall to the 
lot of man ; when met by repeated disappointment, 
he becomes wearied, and fancies that nothing is to 
be done, because it has not been done already. 
And it is readily granted, that the work is very 
onerous, of seeing a patient from day to day, and 
of combating as often the insane ideas, and to be 
met every day by fresh arguments in their support, 
or by the reiteration of old ones ; yet such must 
be done patiently, if there be any hope of success. 
It should always be recollected, that permanent 



OF BODY AND MIND. 425 

impressions upon the nervous fibre seem to be very 
difficultly made, whether in health or disease. 
This appears to be one of its peculiarities, that 
while its impressions are received with great quick- 
ness, they have need to be frequently repeated, 
in order to ensure their permanence. This is seen 
in the process of education ; how frequently re- 
peated, and how constantly forgotten is the im- 
pression, which is made upon the intellectual 
nerves, in communicating the first rudiments of 
knowledge ! How frequently has the instructor 
to lament that he is just where he began, and how 
necessary it is to repeat impressions frequently, 
in order to ensure their permanence ! So also with 
respect to its physiological laws; let a nerve he 
divided, or let any other injury be inflicted upon 
it, how much longer is it before the reparation is 
accomplished, than of any other structure of the 
body ! So also in the production of insane ideas ; 
it is only the constant image which produces the 
monomaniac ; it is only the line upon line, precept 
upon precept, that will give any prospect of relief; 
it is only by keeping in view the fact, that great 
changes are not to be effected on the nervous 
system except by time and by a frequent repetition 
of the means employed. 

There are those who employ the fact of brutes 
heing free from insanity, to prove, on the one 
hand, that this malady must be an affection of 
mind independent of body ; and on the other, to 
show, that it is an affection of structure, without 
any reference to its function. Both are incorrect. 



426 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

That the lower animals are not subject to this form 
of malady is certain ; hydrophobia, the mad- 
staggers, and some other forms of disorder, being 
clearly not to be paralleled with insanity, although 
equally clearly affections dependent upon the 
cerebral system, in the same way as apoplexy, 
epilepsy, and paralysis, are not insanity. The 
simple reason why animals are not insane, is, that 
the brain wants the function which is necessary for 
the developement and manifestation of man's super- 
added principle, viz. mind. They are subject to 
inflammation of the brain, or its membranes ; but 
this does not produce the disturbance of a function 
which they do not possess ; consequently their 
freedom from insanity only shows the absence of 
that function which we previously know they do 
not possess ; and which, if possessing, they could 
not employ, because their brain has not been fitted 
for its manifestations. 

On the other hand, the absence of animal insanity 
has been brought forward to prove, that this form 
of disorder is an affection of structure, without re- 
ference to mind. For it is said, animals possessing 
brain are not insane ; man possessing the same 
kind of brain, though fitted to his more perfect 
organisation, is subject to insanity ; diseases happen 
to one class of animals, which are unknown to ano- 
ther; therefore this is a disease attaching to the 
more perfect, and unknown to the less developed 
structure ; thus resting in organisation, and having 
no reference to function, at least so far as its origin 
is concerned. The object of this reasoning is to 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



427 



dispose of the influence of mind upon matter ; and 
to supersede the idea of man being any thing beyond 
what his organisation makes him ; and thus to 
lead to his entire irresponsibility. 

Now the fact is, that both in the production of 
disorder, and in its cure, the brain, as the organ 
in a state of irritation, is acted upon by moral and 
by physical agencies ; and in monomania it will 
almost always be found to take the character of 
the moral impression which pre-occupied the suf- 
ferer before the invasion of disease. Nor is this 
extraordinary : the patient becomes the subject 
of some deeply interesting, and largely-associated 
moral affection ; one, perhaps, which involves the 
happiness and comfort of himself and many others, 
and very generally presenting a gloomy prospect. 
On this the mind dwells with sombre reflection, 
and still darker forebodings. Reason often dis- 
sipates the cloud ; but as soon as the reasoning 
effort is past, the sky is again overcast, and involun- 
tarily the mind returns to its chief object of 
interest. The depth of that interest is daily in- 
creasing ; the reasoning efforts become few and 
feeble ; the power of resistance to the painful 
images becomes less and less ; the misery of the 
present and the future is more hopelessly contem- 
plated, and even indulged ; the impressions upon 
the nervous fibre, more and more frequently re- 
peated, become almost constant, without interval, 
without change, without diminution of intensity, 
till the nervous fibres have lost at least the habit 
of conveying other notices ; the morbid train be- 



428 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

comes the exclusive idea ; man has passed the boun- 
dary line of reason — is no longer a responsible 
creature, — is insane ! 

Two remarkable instances of this kind will ex- 
emplify the argument ; one, a gentleman, who, 
having lived beyond his income, and fallen into 
increasing difficulties, became insane upon this 
point — lived in apprehension of a jail, of arrest, 
and of all the maniacal miseries conjured up from 
such a state, although there was no danger of such 
catastrophe, because he owed no one anything, 
and because, though his resources were greatly 
diminished, he had still enough, with proper ma- 
nagement, to preserve him in affluence. The 
second instance is that of a lady, who was pos- 
sessed of a remarkable amount of intelligence, and 
who had been placed in circumstances, in which 
she had been obliged to exert her brain beyond 
its power, and, in consequence of which exertion, 
the integrity of that brain had been destroyed — 
destroyed by intellectual over- action ; and what 
now was the character of her maniacal idea ? That 
she had no soul — that God had separated between 
her soul and herself — that she had no moral duties 
to perform — no commands to obey; there was a 
severance of her former from her present self; and 
it was such, that she could hold no communication 
between her own spiritual principle and the ex- 
terior ; and this extending into a thousand ramifi- 
cations. Both these states were recovered from. 

The fact is, that mental alienation, as it is called, 
with all its species and innumerable varieties, dif- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 429 

fers in nothing from other maladies, allowing for 
the difference of organ and function. There are, 
the same period of incubation — the same premo- 
nitory symptoms of disorder — the same transient 
and slight derangement of function — the same 
characteristic march of fully-formed disease — the 
same advance and decline, marked, as in other 
maladies, not by constant progression, but by oc- 
casional advances and retrocessions — the one being 
greater than the other, according as the malady is 
loosening its hold, or narrowing its grasp upon the 
system, and always being marked by this one fea- 
ture, that in the former case, the entire ground 
gained is never wholly lost, — and in the latter, the 
entire ground lost is never wholly regained : 
exacerbation and remission, called, in the case of 
insanity, paroxysm and lucid interval, are always 
to be found. Add to these points of similarity, 
that its terminations are the same ; these being 
in restoration to health, which leaves the patient 
just as before the invasion of disorder ; or by some 
other form of malady which seems to prove critical 
of the more important disorder ; or by some alteration 
of function which leaves the original integrity 
more or less impaired ; or by some change of 
structure, which is marked by increasing disturb- 
ance, and more cruelly perverted manifestations 
of mind ; or, by the substitution of disease, and such 
organic changes as are incompatible with restora- 
tion to health ; or, by complete loss of power, as 
in idiocy, or atrophy ; or, by the gradual and com- 



430 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

plete extinction of life, cerebral life first , and then 
also, general life. 

It may be also added, that the treatment is the 
same, for that kind of plan, which searches after 
the originating cause of the disturbance — which 
seeks to remove that cause — which endeavours to 
abate its influence by the most appropriate means, 
(in the case of insanity by means which sympathize 
with, and soothe the patient in his imaginary sor- 
rows — which partake his sufferings — which console 
him— which revive his hopes — give confidence to 
his timidity — remove his fears — relieve his discom- 
forts, and throw a ray of cheerfulness upon futurity,) 
viz. to remove the immediate cause of mischief — to 
disarm and abate the predisposing causes — to soothe 
existing irritation — to control morbid action — and 
to supersede it by the good actions of health ; these 
are the simple principles upon which cerebral and 
other disorder is to be met and combated, and suc- 
cessfully removed. 

But granting that insanity is dependent upon 
cerebral disorder, how are we to detect this dis- 
order ? And what degrees of change from ordi- 
nary mental manifestation constitute insanity ? 
since it is allowed by all, that these manifestations 
vary in different persons, and in the same person 
at different times. This is a very important and 
difficult question ; since, by the premises, it is 
shown that there can be no standard test of sound- 
ness of mind so long as sound minds admit of very 
varying degrees and kinds of manifestation. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 431 

Thus it would appear, that what is insanity in one 
may not be so in another ; that there is no absolute 
standard of comparison ; and that the question 
must be decided by comparing the manifestations 
which now prevail, with those of a former date, 
which may be said to have indicated the general 
character, from which the present manifestations 
differ so widely as to constitute insanity. 

Yet it must be seen that this subject is beset 
by difficulties; since in forming a judgment upon 
it, with regard to others, the judge necessarily con- 
siders himself as of sound mind ; and the question 
arises, is this the case ? and who is to be the judge ? 
Since it is one of the remarkable features in in- 
sanity, that the subject always thinks himself 
right, and all others wrong, upon the particular 
object of his deliration. 

Again, there are many varieties of mental mani- 
festation so odd, that it is difficult to say what kind 
and degree of eccentricity may be tolerated, as con- 
sistent with sound mind, or as the maximum of 
allowed error ; and on the contrary, to define the 
minimum of unhealthy action, which shall constitute 
insanity. 

Another difficulty presents itself in the complex 
nature of man, viz. to separate physical from moral 
agencies, and to ascribe to each its just influence 
in the formation of character. There are certain 
peculiarities of temperament, which give their tinge 
to thought and action ; but, then, these peculiarities 
may have been fostered in one by injudicious ma- 
nagement, by want of control, by neglected or 



432 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

erroneous education, by position in society, and by 
many other circumstances and associations arising 
out of such position ; and, again, these peculiarities 
may have been sought out and detected, may have 
been repressed, and watched over, and directed, and 
guided, and governed by education — firmness — dis- 
cipline — will — and religious motive ; and thus two 
individuals with precisely similar temperaments, 
will yet possess mental manifestations so very dif- 
ferent, that the one may be considered soundness, 
and the other unsoundness of mind. This has led 
man}^ persons to infer, that there was no such thing 
as sanity to be met with, except in the Omniscient 
and Omnipotent God, and that each and every 
individual was more or less insane. Now, although 
this is certainly too sweeping a conclusion, it is yet 
exceedingly difficult to define the boundary, espe- 
cially between physical infirmity and moral delin- 
quency. 

Perhaps the state of the will may serve to assist 
our way from the intricacies of this labyrinth, more 
securely than any other clue ; and yet, even here 
it may be said, that the function of volition is more 
readily distempered than any other ; and that one 
of the most prominent features of insanity, is the 
feeble, vacillating will, the loss of self-control, and 
the absence of self discipline. Now, this is granted ; 
but it is to be remarked, that there is some diffe- 
rence between the cerebral function of volition, and 
the exercise of the moral will, which is exhibited 
through its agency. At all events^ till we possess a 
better test } we may take this as our criterion, be- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 433 

tween physical infirmity, and moral delinquency. 
Whatsoever is willingly, determinately, conside- 
rately, and deliberately done, must, if it be wrong, 
be placed to the score of moral wrong ; and that 
wrong which occurs without the support of the 
will, independently of it, and even in opposition to 
its general bearing, may be allowed to partake of 
the nature of physical infirmity. 

Now passion, anger, hatred, revenge, and all the 
associated malignant passions, are, for example, to be 
counted as moral evils, because they occur with the 
will, notwithstanding that they appear much more 
readily in an irascible temperament, than in one 
of a more phlegmatic order ; inasmuch as man is 
responsible for his actions; and if he possess a tem- 
perament more easily excited than his neighbour, 
it only becomes him to be watchful over it, the 
more guarded over all the avenues of passion, the 
more strenuous in his opposition to evil, the more 
zealous in the developement of better tendencies. 

In a healthy state of the mind, and of its mani- 
festing organ, the former can give laws to the latter, 
can direct the attention to any given pursuit, can 
arrest or change the course of its thoughts and oc- 
cupations, according to its own pleasure ; can fix 
the attention upon any one subject, so long as it 
pleases ; and can then divert it to another ; the 
transfer being a pure, and distinct, and decisive act 
of the will ; or, instead of making this entire 
change, it may direct the train of thought into 
something analogous with former trains ; or it may 
dismiss the subject altogether. This faculty may 

F F 



434 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be called self-possession, or the power of governing 
the physical machinery by moral motives, and ap- 
propriate stimuli. 

Now, this power is lost in insanity ! The brain 
is no longer the servant of mind ; nervous fibre usurps 
the supremacy, and beclouds, obscures, perverts, 
or entirely supersedes, the mental manifestations. 
Hence arise uncontrolled thoughts ; images over 
which the judgment has no influence ; imaginations 
without foundation ; impulses which are not to be 
accounted for ; apparently sound reasoning upon 
false premises; constant change of purpose; action 
without definite object ; disproportioned will, some- 
times earnest over trifles, and almost nothing over 
objects of primary importance ; hence the little 
reliance which can be placed on the promises of 
the insane, or on any appeal to the higher principles 
of moral governance ; hence the infinite variety of 
shades of feeling in different insane persons, and in 
the same individuals at different times; hence that 
confusion, and jumbling together of incongruous 
images, because there is no will to direct, no judg- 
ment to guide — no mind to govern the organic 
movements. 

Hence arises the great analogy between insanity 
and dreaming. In both cases, the brain acts inde- 
pendently of mind, and dissociated from the reason 
and judgment ; in both cases the images are of the 
most incongruous, grotesque, and confused descrip- 
tion ; in both instances there is a want of natural 
cohesion ; in both instances, there is to the indi- 
vidual a semblance of the most perfect truth, 






OF BODY AND MIND. 435 

though, in fact, there is no truth ; in both instances 
there is irritation of the cerebral fibre, and morbid 
images are produced as arising out of such irrita- 
tion, and all its physical associations. 

It will be observed, that in insanity, the morbid 
manifestations of mind are often characterized by 
the preceding history of the patient; by the pecu- 
liarities of his temperament, by the propensities of 
his character, by the revival of old associations, by 
errors of the imagination, by some bodily uneasi- 
ness, and occasionally by a mysterious change or 
influence which we cannot fathom. In this, again, 
there will be fonnd to be a great analogy with 
dreaming ; and the reason is obvious enough, that 
when during a sane state, the brain has been accus- 
tomed frequently to receive certain impressions ; 
and these impressions have been made upon an 
organ, which, by nature, possesses some peculiar 
characteristics ; when the conduct through life, has 
been marked by the particular expression of certain 
habits and modes of thinking, speaking, and act- 
ing ; when there has been given a preponderance 
to the influence of the moral feelings, or of certain 
other passions and propensities ; when the imagi- 
nation has been permitted an uncontrolled range, 
in every possible way, during health ; and when 
there are a thousand and ten thousand associations, 
connected with all these and many other interme- 
diate links ; it is easy to comprehend how, when 
dissociated from the governing principle, the brain 
should take up the recollected impressions of all 

f f2 



436 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

these things, and should reproduce them in the 
confused and heterogeneous images which consti- 
tute insanity ; a sufficient proof (if it were needed) 
of this malady being cerebral ; and of that cerebrum, 
as a congeries of nervous bundles, being during its 
healthy state under the control of another, and a 
master principle, which we call mind. 

As a further resemblance of dreaming, insanity 
often takes its shape and form, from some bodily 
feelings. Very recently there has been under my 
care a patient, who doubtless from many abdo- 
minal feelings, conceived herself to be the sub- 
ject of tape-worm ; and this idea, the predo- 
minant one of her insanity, was presented in an 
infinitely varied series, so as to account for all her 
sensations, and to verify all her present impressions 
and future forebodings. It is scarcely necessary to 
add, that she had no tape-worm ; and that in her 
case, insanity resulted from chronic disorganisation 
of the brain. 

There are some powerful mental emotions, which 
are oftentimes mentioned as the causes of insanity ; 
such are the passion of love, or the deep influence 
of religion. It may be so in some few instances ; 
but we are much inclined to believe, that these are 
effects rather than causes; and that the brain, 
already pre-disposed to insanity, is excited by the 
stirring emotions of these powerful principles ; and 
that with its insane bias, it produces, under the 
influence of strong excitement, insane ideas, which 
naturally take the shape of that cerebral commotion, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 437 

which has been so powerfully excited : and then 
are exhibited those phenomena, which, by unthink- 
ing persons, are called causes of insanity. 

This perhaps, in speculative matters, might not 
be very important, though even speculative error is 
sure to be followed by injurious results. But it is 
a matter of much consequence, when applied, as it 
too often is, to throw discredit upon religion, with 
which an irreligious world is but too highly grati- 
fied. Now religion, properly so called, is the 
greatest soother of life's cares, the best balm for 
all its sorrows, the great cure for all its wounds, 
the only secure refuge from all its contumelies, and 
the best safeguard for the integrity of the brain. 
Religion in itself, with all its moral sanctions, is 
the best preserver from the influence of animal pas- 
sions and propensities, and the best regulator of all 
the affections of the heart; it is the surest guide 
through all the intricacies of life's mazy course, — 
through all the labyrinths of society, — through the 
difficulties and trials of its relationship. Religion, 
then, affords the best security for the tempest-tossed 
brain ; it gives peace during the storm — quiet de- 
pendence upon the care and guidance of Provi- 
dence; and the highest hopes of happiness at the 
end of the present course, to those who obey its pre- 
cepts, and are guided by its requirements : hence it 
cannot of itself produce insanity. 

But it is allowed, that when a brain is thus predis- 
posed, and its possessor is, from some circumstances, 
induced to attend to religion, which had been be- 
fore neglected, it is perfectly possible that the sense 



438 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of this neglect may be so frequently and so power- 
fully repeated as to become the exclusive idea ; 
that there should follow the very natural transition, 
of having forfeited by this neglect, all claim to its 
consolations, and of having incurred the anger of 
God, and become subject to all the consequences of 
final impenitence : and then it is perfectly possible, 
that such an exclusive idea should become an 
insane idea, and should overset the integrity of the 
brain. 

There are also mistakes in religion, which would 
produce a similar influence ; as, in taking only 
partial views of its great doctrines, which lead away 
the mind from truth, and fix it upon some positive 
error, or upon some misunderstood, or misapplied 
doctrine ; or upon some injudicious and exclusive 
view of God's attributes, which by a similar pro- 
cess would produce the same result. But it will be 
seen at once, that this is not religion ; and that the 
substitution of real religion, would be the best cure 
for its extravagancies. It is not religion, but the 
want of it, which oversets the brain. 

This is powerfully confirmed by the fact, that in 
all these cases, reasoning with the patients is un- 
availing ; they are either not accessible to truth, or 
if they receive its impression for a moment, it is 
directly obliterated ; the hallucination is not easily 
to be worn down ; and he who begins the treatment 
of this form of insanity, by administering the con- 
solations of religion, will assuredly fail, though they 
will be of infinite importance by-and-bye, when 
the irritation of the brain has been subdued by 



OF BODY AND MIND. 439 

physical agencies ; and then the moral hopes, and 
sanctions, and motives of religion, and its inseparable 
handmaid, consistency of thought and action, will 
be of infinite service, in quieting and fixing the 
agitated and feeble cerebral fibres. 

The non-existence of organic disease in the brain, 
among many of those who have died insane, has 
been adduced as a proof, that insanity was a spiri- 
tual, and not a cerebral disorder. The argument is 
specious but unavailing, because contrary to fact. 
In the first place, it is not at all extraordinary, 
to find death produced from the disorder of some 
one of the organs of the body, without leaving be- 
hind it a trace of disorganisation. Yet there can 
be no doubt, that there has existed disorder, and 
disorder to such an extent, as to produce the death 
of the organ, which local death has proved the 
occasion of general death. This may have hap- 
pened, and the appearances of disorganisation may 
have passed away with life ; or there may have 
existed such an amount of disordered function, as 
to be incompatible with the continuance of life, 
although there shall be no traces of such destructive 
influence. The latter is the more probable solu- 
tion of the difficulty, But if disordered function 
may exist in an organ essential to life, to such an 
extent as to produce local and general death, and 
yet leave behind no traces of its existence, there 
can be no just reason why disordered cerebral func- 
tion should not also exist during life, without leav- 
ing behind it any cognizable change of tissue. 

Again, it is a fact, that although the brain of 



440 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

those dying insane does very frequently exhibit no 
organic change ; and that when organic changes 
have taken place, it is impossible oftentimes to pre- 
dicate the nature of such change, before examina- 
tion ; so little uniformity has been found between 
the symptoms before, and the appearances after 
death ; yet the common changes of disease are 
much more frequently found in the brain of in- 
sane persons, than among those who have not been 
afflicted with this malady ; and they probably exist 
in many other instances which escape detection, 
because we are so little acquainted with the healthy 
structure of the ultimate nervous fibre. 

It may be said, that the length of time during 
which insanity has continued, would have the effect 
of deepening the impression of chronic alteration ; 
and it may do so in some instances. But by the 
supposition, there are other conditions, incom- 
patible with life, but which leave no traces of dis- 
organisation ; and these, though slower in their 
operation, because less violent in their nature, would 
not necessarily produce organic changes in the 
longer time required for the production of the final 
result, than in the shorter but parallel case of acute 
malady ; so that this also is a question of time, and 
affords no argument against our main position. 

And really, the length of time, during which 
the symptoms shall have continued without pro- 
ducing disorganisation, is rather in favour of, than 
against our conclusion ; for had it been any other 
than disorder of function, its long continuance 
would have been marked by such progressive or- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 44 1 

ganic changes as would have resulted in an early 
incompatibility with the maintenance of life ; and 
when to these are added the little knowledge 
we possess of the structure and functions of the 
nervous system, we shall find no single argument 
against our position. 

But once more, so far as we are acquainted with 
it, the habits of the nervous system make against 
our discovering organic changes : for first, its 
changes are always produced in an exceedingly 
slow manner, as we have before observed ; and 
next, we are quite sure, that in other violent dis- 
orders of that system, it is often difficult, often im- 
possible to discover the influence of change. It is, 
for instance, doubtful whether tetanus or hydro- 
phobia produce any cognisable permanent change 
of structure : and it is more than doubtful, whether 
that which has been thought (Dr. Reid) to produce 
these maladies is cause or effect, even granting 
that it ever existed. In apoplexy, sometimes a 
trace of disease is hardly to be found ; and catalepsy 
shall have existed during a long life, and yet no- 
thing be discoverable. A patient shall have been 
subjected to violent attacks of hysteria, for twenty, 
thirty, or forty years, and not the slightest visible 
influence be perceived in any part of the nervous 
system. Yet no one doubts the existence of these 
diseases, or of their being diseases of that system, 
because their effects are not discernible. So that 
the argument drawn from this source has no foun- 
dation in truth, in fact, in reasoning. 

The existence of idiocy, not congenital, but pro- 



442 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

duced from some powerfully operating cause, with- 
out any traceable difference in the brain, from that 
of the healthiest organisation, is only another proof 
that function may be intercepted, where the organ 
appears healthy ; or that we have no means of 
judging of what is healthy nervous fibre ; and it 
would be well if we would rest contented to find, 
and not attempt to pass, the limit, which Nature 
has everywhere placed to our researches. 

There is another fact which is remarkable, es- 
pecially as we have noticed that the brain in 
itself is not a very sentient organ ; and that, in all 
probability, its investing membranes are more sen- 
sitive than itself; viz. that although it is true that 
insanity often exists, where there shall be no dis- 
discoverable traces of organic change after death, 
yet, that, on the contrary, such organic changes 
are scarcely ever found where the manifestations 
of mind have not been more or less altered. It is 
said, that the contrary has sometimes occurred ; 
and on the principle above stated, that the brain 
is not a very sentient organ, we believe that it may 
have been so ; yet this is the exception to the 
general rule, and when observed, is remarked, not 
as a thing of course, but of wonder. And could 
we see the interior workings of such minds, we 
believe that they would be found altered, limited, 
perverted, or changed in some way from their 
normal condition, although it may not be discover- 
able in their external manifestations. It should be 
recollected, that there are many oddnesses which 
are dependent upon cerebral conditions, but which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



443 



pass for mental peculiarities, and in this way the 
disordered actions escape notice. Yet the rule will 
be found logically true, that wherever there has 
been seen a trace of organic change, there also will 
have been disturbed manifestations. 

If we look to the phenomena of cerebral disorder 
and to the means which are most available for its 
cure, we shall find that these, too, bear out our 
original proposition. Since the brain is not very 
sensitive to pain, or alteration of structure, we 
should not expect to notice its early manifestations 
of morbid action very prominently, and they often 
escape the notice of those most deeply interested. 
A little girl, just recovering from an acute 
attack of irritation of the brain — that form of ma- 
lady which generally terminates in hydrocephalus, 
was observed to be very irritable upon the merest 
trifles ; it was attributed to the very common irri- 
tability of convalescence ; but as she advanced a 
little more towards recovery, a great silliness of 
expression was perceived about her, not amounting 
to, but bordering upon idiocy ; so slight as to have 
escaped the notice of intelligent parents, but which 
was largely perceived, as soon as their attention 
had been directed to the subject ; and this is pass- 
ing off as she gains strength. But for a minute 
attention to the manifestations of mind, this phe- 
nomenon would have escaped detection ; and thus 
it is, doubtless, with many other forms of cerebral 
disorder. Another patient became morbid \y fearful; 
she was always nervous, and this timidity was con- 
sidered as an increase of nervousness ; till to fear 



444 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

became associated the vacillating will, the absurdly 
scrupulous judgment, the unreal apprehension of 
evil from the commonest circumstances, which 
showed to herself and her friends that there was 
something essentially wrong about the brain, and 
she was then subjected to proper treatment. 

One of the earliest symptoms of cerebral disorder 
is the disposition to magnify trifles ; to be inordi- 
nately elated, or depressed by circumstances or 
feelings, which in a well-poised mind should not 
produce any considerable movement; the events 
of life are not weighed in their proper balance, and 
justly appreciated, but obtain an undue prepon- 
derance. This generally passes for zeal, or ear- 
nestness, or great feeling, or warm interest in a 
given subject ; but it is overdone, unnatural, and 
really a morbid condition. 

A certain degree of congestion in the vessels of 
the brain, giving rise to heavy and protracted 
slumber, from which the patient arouses with diffi- 
culty ; a certain amount of congestive headache 
in the morning, which renders him languid and 
miserable for perhaps the first half of the day ; 
occasional giddinesses of a very transient descrip- 
tion, and never amounting to any serious disturb- 
ance of the circulation, are yet sufficient to show 
that that circulation is disturbed ; to mark (as pre- 
monitory symptoms to an attack of insanity) the 
organ which is suffering; and distinctively to 
declare, that the perverted manifestations of mind 
are accompanied by alteration in the vascular con- 
dition of its organ. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 445 

At another time the patient suffers from what 
is strictly and properly termed nervous headaches ; 
a state not dependent upon congestion, or increased 
action of the vessels, but upon a certain morbid 
condition of the nervous fibre itself; sometimes 
confined to a small space, and at others apparently 
diffused over the whole head, and giving rise to a 
great degree of irritability of temper, or restless- 
ness of passion ; a wandering after, and frequent 
change of pursuit ; a general malaise ; a great 
degree of fidgetiness, which makes its subject 
thoroughly uncomfortable to himself and others, 
and which often mark the approach of another 
and more troublesome form of insanity ; more 
troublesome in proportion as nervous function is 
less under our control than that of the circulation. 

There a a very troublesome form of headache, 
which is only named in the present situation in 
order to distinguish it from the nervous headache 
just described ; the one being a very common pre- 
cursor of insanity, and the other being apparently 
unconnected with any such consequence, and 
which, for the sake of perspicuity, may be termed 
pericranial headache. The symptoms are much 
alike ; and the latter has seemed to attack literary 
and other persons who have overworked the brain, 
but in whom there is no tendency to insanity. 
Pericranial headache may be known from ordinarv 
nervous headache by its periodicity, generally con- 
tinuing thirty-six hours, and subsiding without any 
visible cause; almost always originatiug after some 
extraordinary cerebral exertion ; generally bene- 



446 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

fited by bodily exercise, unless the wind be very 
high ; never increased by the various movements 
of the head and body ; and though very distress- 
ing to the patient, does not produce that state of 
irritability of the mind and temper which is the 
common companion of nervous headache. It is 
very important to distinguish these two forms of 
malady, for the sake of the patient, who may re- 
quire much watching in the one case, and in the 
other need excite no kind of apprehension. 

As in the form of congestive headache, heavy 
slumber prevails, so in that of nervous headache 
there is a great degree of morbid wakefulness. 
Night after night, and week after week, sleep 
forsakes the pillow ; and although at first the 
transient snatches which the patient gains seem 
refreshing, and sufficient to enable him to pass 
through the day, yet this cannot last long; and 
the brain always losing, and never recruiting, 
gives way under a series of excitements from 
which it obtains no quietude. A great degree of 
irritability is the consequence, and perhaps finally 
a state of morbid vigilance, which too frequently 
ushers in the fully-formed paroxysm of insanity. 

Next comes a certain altered condition of the 
organs of sense, giving rise in its advanced stage 
to various forms of illusion, which haunt the 
insane, and characterize their delirations. An 
excessive degree of sensibility to impression forms 
the first link in this chain ; every feeling is ren- 
dered too acute, and all the nerves of sense aug- 
ment the impression which they receive, and 






OF BODY AND MIND. 447 

magnify them far beyond the truth. And when to 
this state of great susceptibility is added the deep- 
ening shade of perversion, then has the boundary- 
line of reason been passed, and insanity has com- 
menced ; then the report of the senses is no longer 
to be relied upon ; and the impulsive patient, or 
the one who acts from perverted impressions on the 
organs of sense, in other words, the one who acts 
from momentary feeling, becomes an object of 
deep solicitude. 

This being the case, next follows great insta- 
bility of pursuit and purpose ; the patient has 
become the creature of every changing feeling ; 
he no longer appeals to motive, judgment, prin- 
ciple, to guide his conduct, but acts automatically 
from the character of the impression last made 
upon the organs of sense, or originated in the in- 
terior man, and reflected outwards to those organs, 
in order ultimately to give rise to the consequences 
of non-reasoning action. 

The manifestations of mind now mark the 
change which has taken place in the manifesting 
organ. Perhaps, in the first place, an overween- 
ing attachment to some favourite study or pursuit 
is remarked ; some relative or friend, perchance, 
playfully notices this change, or perhaps seriously 
and gently cautions against that becoming evil by 
excess, which in itself was good. The friend is not 
a little startled and chagrined on finding that his 
playful and well-intentioned remark excites a vio- 
lent paroxysm of anger, which it requires some trou- 
ble to appease ; and then, and perhaps not till then, 



448 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

does he find this emportement so disproportioned to 
the cause which produced it, that he becomes 
apprehensive, his fears are awakened, and after 
watching closely, he discovers various other alter- 
ations of character, which had before escaped no- 
tice, but which he now recollects to have existed 
for some time, producing, however, only a passing 
emotion of wonder and surprise. 

Upon close scrutiny, he detects many causes for 
alarm ; he finds that many of the habits, and of 
that congeries of phenomena, which in the aggre- 
gate we call character, are changed, — changed fit- 
fully, without change of circumstances, and without 
adequate reason. It is impossible to notice these 
changes, which depend not on any general stand- 
ard, but on that individuality of. character which 
belongs to each, and which are only detected by a 
comparison of the present with other manifestations 
of an antecedent date. It will, however, be found 
that the cautious have become imprudent; the 
precise perfectly careless ; the neat very inatten- 
tive to his person ; the benevolent selfish ; the 
religious man inattentive to his duties ; the do- 
mestic man always from home ; the meek tur- 
bulent and irascible ; the courageous timid ; the 
slow reasoner jumping to a conclusion, and as 
readily acting upon his results, without reviewing 
the steps by which he has gained them ; the in- 
dustrious has become idle ; the serious frivolous ; 
the prodigal penurious, and vice versa ; he who 
has been accustomed to reason, and to estimate 
very highly the power of reasoning, now under- 






OF BODY AND MIND. 



449 



values any consecutive argument, as altogether 
unnecessary for him to whom has been bequeathed 
powers not far short of an almighty intelligence. 
This might be multiplied indefinitely ; these only 
are mentioned to show the changes of character 
which are carried out into every conceivable 
variety of individuality, and to exemplify the con- 
sequences of irritation of the brain. To these may 
be added the increasing bizarreries of conduct, 
which are all consistent with the patient's own 
belief and reasoning upon it ; this belief, and this 
reasoning, however, being entirely dependent upon 
hallucination. 

We must just remark at this stage of our in- 
quiry, some bodily disturbances which very gene- 
rally accompany the state of irritation of mind 
which we have just described. The first and chief 
of these is, dyspepsia, or disordered stomach, in 
all its ever-changing varieties of shape, and form, 
and pressure. This is so frequently the case, and 
from the earliest observations there has been such 
a marked connexion between hypocliondr lasts (the 
very derivation of which points to under the car- 
tilages of the ribs for the origin of the evil) and 
disordered liver, that it has almost been believed 
that every form of insanity has at its commence- 
ment been referred to stomach, and treated as such 
successfully. None can den}' the good which has 
been effected ; but we may differ as to the cause 
of improvement, and as to the nature and agency 
of the remedies employed. 

We believe, then, that all the phenomena of 

G G 



45 Othe reciprocal influence 

disordered stomach in the insane, are not the 
cause, but the consequence, of their insanity. In 
truth, the brain spends too much nervous energy 
over its dominant or exclusive idea, and thus the 
stomach and other chylopoietic bowels are deprived 
of their required amount, and then fall into a state 
of disorder, the result of which is more or less of 
indigestion, and all the usual w T retched accompany- 
ing symptoms, which, however, be it remembered, 
are the result, not the precursors of that cerebral 
irritation, which, carried to a certain point, inter- 
feres with the regular function of the organ, and 
constitutes insanity. 

There are various muscular movements of an in- 
voluntary character which accompany insanity ; 
such as frequent cramps and twitchings of various 
muscles, without the power of controlling them ; 
sometimes only during the night, and occurring 
in sleep ; at others, influencing all the movements 
of progression during the day ; all these being the 
consequence of that cerebral irritation which is 
going on, and overturning not only the finer 
faculties of mental manifestation, but also all the 
other arrangements of the body which depend 
upon nervous influence. 

But there is oftentimes a great degree of feeble- 
ness of the voluntary muscles, which seems to arise, 
not from any deficiency of muscular power, as de- 
termined by muscular fibre, but from the defective 
volition communicated to that fibre. We are quite 
aware that paralysis is a very frequent companion 
of insanity ; but this occurs only in an advanced 






OF BODY AND MIND. 451 

stage of the malady, and as a consequence of some 
disorganisation of the brain, arising from unwonted 
pressure upon some part of its substance, or from 
the rupture of some of the nervous fibres them- 
selves ; while the present loss of power is produced 
merely by feeble will. The patient is generally 
slow in determining upon all good purposes, though 
often ivilfully persevering in bad resolves ; his judg- 
ment is always changing ; but in respect of his 
muscles 5 he moves them feebly, except under ex- 
citement, and he has a certain fear and apprehen- 
sion that he cannot move them at all; he thinks 
he cannot leave the chair on which he is sitting, 
the bed on which he is lying, or the house he 
inhabits; whereas the performance of all these 
things requires only an act of moderate volition. 

The most successful method of treatment of these 
cases will be found in obtaining the confidence of 
the patient, becoming the depositary of his secrets, 
and gradually and judiciously throwing the bright 
ray of hope over futurity ; dispelling the gloomy 
night of despair, and animating him with some 
motive for effort ; inquiring most accurately after 
the remote and immediate, the predisposing and 
the occasional causes of this malady in the indi- 
vidual, and setting to work sincerely to remove or 
suspend all these influences. It is astonishing how 
a sudden fearful impression upon the system will 
sometimes dissipate this feeble will, as if by a 
charm, and induce that decided exercise of volun- 
tary movement, as shall convince the patient that 
he is capable of such movement, and he stands at 

g g 2 



452 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

once a " regenerated " man, "disenthralled" of 
all his apprehensions by the power of accidental 
impression. We have mentioned an instance of 
this kind in a lady who was thrown from a pony 
carriage, and immediately recovered ; and we 
have known the same consequence result from an 
alarm of fire, or some other similar power. 

But we cannot quit this subject without noticing 
that form of insanity which is called demonomania, 
including under this term all which may be com- 
prehended in the idea of " religious insanity," if, 
indeed, these words convey any idea at all. We 
have before noticed the necessity for precision in 
the use of terms ; and this is one of those uses, 
which, however sanctified by custom, we cannot 
but object to ; not simply on the ground that no 
form of bodily disorder can admit of the charac- 
teristic " religious" w 7 hich might be termed a 
scientific cavil ; but because of the positive error 
of association, which it produces in the minds of 
the ignorant, the unthinking, and the prejudiced ; 
as if religion really did produce insanity. If any 
term of this kind must be used, we would suggest 
the employment of pseudo-religious insanity, as at 
once designating that it was either a false impres- 
sion of religion which gives rise to the malady ; or 
that religion had been falsely accused of producing 
it. In the minds of many, it is held as a most 
sacred truth that an attention to religion has over- 
turned the reason — this in itself being an offset 
from monomania. 

It being certain that there is oftentimes a con- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 453 

riexion between religion and insanity, as also be- 
tween genius and insanity, it is necessary to con- 
sider for a moment wherein that connexion consists ; 
and it will be found that the two are precisely 
parallel cases. In the first place, it will be allowed 
that there are some brains predisposed, from here- 
ditary or original conformation, to insanity, as well 
as others fitted for the developement of genius. 
There are some brains peculiarly adapted to the 
manifestation of the highest intellectual efforts ; 
others, to that of the highest moral fruits. And 
as genius is the highest point of intellectual mani- 
festation, and religion the perfection of moral 
fruit, so, in both instances, the brain is stimulated 
to its highest action. But every one knows, that 
an organ stimulated to its highest pitch of en- 
durance is very likely to be overset, and is placed 
in that peculiar position, in which it is especially 
susceptible of disorder ; and hence arises the ac- 
knowledged connexion between genius, religion, in- 
sanity. 

Now, nobody quarrels with genius because it is 
allied to insanity ; nobody undervalues it on ac- 
count of this alliance ; everybody considers it as a 
boon ; courts it as a most valuable endowment ; 
cultivates its most brilliant manifestations, and 
cherishes it with the fondest care. Not so religion ; 
when insanity occurs under its influence, religion 
is blamed ; it is undervalued ; it is considered as 
an evil ; it is sought to be repressed ; the indi- 
vidual is to be rescued from its agency ; and every- 
thing which tends to awaken its association is to 



454 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be carefully avoided. How is this ? Whence is 
this great difference of motive, feeling, conduct? 
Is it not an abandonment of reason and judgment ; 
and a substitution of prejudice, and of alienation 
from that which is good, because man's perverse 
heart does not love God ? 

There are two ways particularly, in which re- 
ligion may be said to produce insanity, though we 
have already shown, it can only give rise to insanity 
in a brain which is waiting for the first powerful 
emotion to overturn its integrity ; the first its 
natural, and the second its perverted influence. 

a. Its natural influence. Religion, as setting be- 
fore man the highest hopes and greatest fears ; 
infinite happiness on the one hand, and indefinite 
despair on the other; as involving the highest 
moral sanctions, promises of reward to the obedient, 
and a foretelling of future misery to the wilfully 
disobedient ; as requiring the fulfilment of a certain 
moral law, which man in his present state is unable 
to obey, but for which, if he sincerely seeks it, he 
is promised that aid which shall enable him to 
walk in the straight path of truth : the conviction 
of every honest heart, that he has no claim to the 
blessings, but has incurred the penalties denounced ; 
and the hopes of present safety held out in the 
Gospel; the earnest desire to do right, and the 
fearful array of the many occasions on which that 
rigid has been abandoned ; and the now constant 
struggle between duty and inclination ; are all in- 
fluential impressions. And when an individual, 
who has for many years been careless about these 






OF BODY AND MIND. 455 

things, begins to turn his attention towards them, 
and to be really in earnest about fulfilling his duties 
towards God and his neighbour, it is not sur- 
prising that the subject should become an engross- 
ing one, nor that, after a time, it should likewise 
become exclusive. And now the brain has lost its 
integrity, for it has lost the power of directing the 
attention from any one subject, and fixing it upon 
any other, according to the will. This exclusive 
attention keeps up one set of impressions, under 
which the reason is overturned, and insanity is 
formed. 

b. Its unnatural influence. This is, when an 
individual takes up false notions of religion : when 
he looks upon God as implacable ; when he con- 
siders that his sins are unpardonable ; when he 
looks upon the Omnipotent as a God of vengeance, 
and not of mercy and love ; when he contemplates 
himself as predestined to misery; and when he 
loses himself in the mysteries of election, and the 
purposes of God ; in fact, when forgetting the sim- 
plicity of truth, he takes up views which he cannot 
fathom, nor even attempt to comprehend ; then 
it is, that a fallacious, as well as an exclusive im- 
pression, and that, too, always of a depressing 
character, is produced ; and then it is, that one 
of the most fearful forms of insanity is found. In 
all these instances, it will be seen, that religion 
operates by producing impressions of an exciting, 
or powerfully-depressing nature upon the brain ; 
and that thus it works in the same way as the 
highest eiforts of genius ; as the passion of love, 



456 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

especially when unrequited ; as too much business 
to the merchant, particularly when embarrassing ; 
as ambition to the warrior ; as political trials to 
the statesman : there is no difference ; one and 
the same law exists for all ; the brain is morbidly 
impressed in all ; the impression becomes exclusive ; 
and the exclusiveness lapses into insanity ; and its 
delirations are then characterised by the nature of 
those impressions. 

There exists another error on this subject, among 
many excellent persons, who are not deeply versed 
in the mental and moral history of man ; this is 
an idea that insanity is a possession of the evil one. 
It is not our business to inquire, what was the 
possession detailed in the Scriptures ; our only 
concern is with what it was not ; and we may 
certainly say, it was not insanity, because it was 
evidently some spiritual and not a bodily state ; 
and therefore, as it cannot be doubted that the 
essence of insanity consists in cerebral or bodily 
disorder, it cannot be that the two are the same 
thing. 

With these preliminary observations, we now 
remark, that " pseudo-religious insanity " may be 
subdivided into the hopeful and the desponding. 

In the former state, we find the individual full of 
his own self-importance, and of some extraordinary 
commission, which is to be accomplished through 
his or her instrumentality. One patient will ima- 
gine himself to be our Saviour, sent on earth to 
fulfil his divine commission ; another, that he is a 
prophet, and that he is entitled to expect miracu- 






OF BODY AND MIND. 457 

lous interposition to support him, and therefore, that 
he is not required to take sustenance, for that it 
would even be doubting God's power if he did 
take food ; a third is sent as an apostle to execute 
the will of the Most High upon the earth, and 
especially to convert mankind, and restore them 
to the image of God ; a fourth is in constant com- 
munication from the Most High — receives direc- 
tions from Him, as to all the events of life — hears 
voices, and obeys impulses ; communicates freely 
with angels and good spirits ; and is desirous of 
executing the behests, and is prepared with a 
special revelation of the will of God to man. One 
very aged female patient believed herself pregnant, 
and in labour with the Son of God. In all these, 
to doubt their high commission is the greatest 
possible offence ; and in every instance it will be 
found that they are very proud, and disdainful of 
their supposed inferiors : it is desirable not to en- 
deavour to dissipate this illusion abruptly ; for by 
so doing, the chance of obtaining the patient's con- 
fidence is lost, and without it there is no hope of 
usefulness. 

In the second, or desponding state, the patient 
is without hope, and can receive no comfort ; he 
is eternally condemned to everlasting punishment ; 
he is given over to hardness of heart ; the offers of 
mercy are not made to him, for his sins are un- 
pardonable ; the promises of God are not intended 
for him : he has forfeited all hope of the Divine 
mercy ; he is given over to the possession of evil 
spirits; he is irrecoverably lost; and in the midst 



458 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of mercy, and goodness, and love, he alone is the 
isolated object of the vengeance of the Most High. 

Many causes operate in producing this peculiar 
state of pseudo-religious insanity ; and none more 
than false systems of religious belief, taking up 
partial views of the truth, and allowing them to 
remain with such a constant weight upon the heart, 
that they become exclusive ideas, and overturn the 
reason. A right and correct view of religion in- 
vests its believers with a cheerfulness that ought 
to be cultivated, because none can be so truly 
happy as the Christian — none can possess such 
consolations in all the troubles of life — none can 
so securely rest his infirmities, his unwilling in- 
firmities on the compassion of a Saviour, who was 
tempted in like manner, though incapable of sin — 
none can possess so secure a confidence of forgive- 
ness — and none can look forward with such cheerful 
expectation to the hopes and joys of the world that 
is to come. But if instead of this rational and 
scriptural view of the truth, religion shall have 
been invested with a mysticism which makes it 
fearful ; if its author shall have been represented 
as the inexorable Judge — as delighting in the sins 
and the punishments of his children, because they 
would display His justice, and add to His glory; 
still more, if He shall have been represented as 
having pre-ordained some of His creatures to ever- 
lasting destruction ; if it shall have been said that 
they have no power to turn unto God — to seek his 
ways, or to obey his commands ; and that, unless 
they are of the number of the elect — chosen cut of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 459 

mankind from the foundation of the world — these 
receiving the power to believe, which is withheld 
from all the rest of the world ; it is clear, that such 
a view of religion must fill the bosom of frail man 
with despondency, and naturally tend to overset 
his best principles, his highest hopes — take him 
from the humble aspirant after conformity to the 
will of God, and place him in the lowest grade 
of abject, lost, ruined, worthless, and despairing 
creatures. 

The influence of physical temperament over these 
states is also very considerable. Where the san- 
guine temperament prevails, there also will be 
found the prevalence of hope ; and the insane, there- 
fore, will be found a most important personage ; he 
will be divinely commissioned ; and this commis- 
sion will keep him up, above all the troubles of 
life ; will give him an exalted place in his own 
imagination, will make him the especial favourite of 
Heaven, and will throw a bright colouring over the 
gloomy present, and the darkling future ; so that, 
even here, all shall be bright. But on the con- 
trary, should the patient be of the melancholic 
character, he views precisely the same objects 
through exactly opposite media : that which gives 
hope to the one, produces despair in the other ; that 
which incites to action in the one, paralyses the 
other ; that which consoles and supports the one, is 
productive only of fearful anguish, and anticipated 
misery to the other ; so that from a knowledge of 
the temperament, it may always be predicated, 
which is the prevailing form of insanity. 



460 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Accidental circumstances will also exert a consi- 
derable influence over the varying forms of insane 
manifestation. One person shall have led a strictly 
moral and religious life ; another shall have passed 
a life of dissipation : one shall have been remark- 
able for the quiet exercise of all the cardinal virtues 
— in another, it shall have been difficult to find the 
trace of any virtue at all ; in one, the history of his 
path shall have been marked by benevolence — 
another shall have been guilty of almost every vice 
against society ; one shall be an individual of very 
limited mental power — another of the highest intel- 
lectual grade, and also of every intermediate mental 
calibre ; one shall have been ushered into insanity, 
by some powerful mental emotion suddenly induced 
— another by the slow consuming fire of some hidden 
and unexpressed, but abiding feeling ; in one the 
perversion of insanity shall have been coincident 
with acute disease- — in another it shall seem to have 
been caused by the slow overturn of the equilibrium 
of health, produced by the gradual failure of some 
one or other function ; in one some sudden acces- 
sion of wealth — in another some equally sudden or 
more slow reverse of fortune : all these will have 
operated in producing insanity, and will give a dif- 
ferent expression of feature to that disordered state. 

In all these, however, a great prevalence will be 
found of the depressed forms, because fear is more 
powerfully influential, and more generally prevalent 
than hope ; because, there is in this world a 
greater, or at least a more marked prevalence of 
suffering rather than of pleasure ; of doubt, rather 



OF BODY AND MIND. 461 

than of certainty ; of apprehension, rather than of 
cheerful expectation ; of sickness and sorrow, rather 
than of health and joy ; of terror and fearful looking 
forward, rather than of the self-possession, and con- 
fidence of future prospects ; in fact, the clouds pre- 
vail over the sunshine, and therefore the gloomy 
prevails over the more cheerful expression of feel- 
ing. 

There have been some other modes of supersti- 
tion, which have excited a considerable influence 
over the brain, but which, as they can scarcely be 
said to be now much operative, we shall barely 
glance at; such as the different forms of idolatry ; 
the worship of the heavenly bodies ; the belief in 
their influence upon the destinies of man, the 
remnant of which is to be found still in our own 
notions of the influence of the different phases of 
the moon upon supposed lunatics ; and the various 
forms of folly and credulity, which have exerted so 
deep an influence over the integrity of the brain ; 
as all the histories of magic, witchcraft, sorcery, the 
pretensions of the exorcist, the claims of the me- 
tallic tractors, the divining rod, alchemy, the secret 
of perpetual motion, the researches of mesmerism, 
and, more recently, animal magnetism, homoeopathy, 
the study of the occult sciences, all the unjust and 
limited views that have ever prevailed among men, 
and all the effects of fanaticism in every shape, 
have proved, at different times, so many rocks upon 
which the intellect has made shipwreck, and has 
been stranded on the trackless shores of insanity. 
Hence the infinite importance of preserving the 



462 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

health of the brain, and the just equilibrium of 
mental manifestation. 

In whatever way insanity may have been pro- 
duced, it is early shown by a concentration on self, 
an introversion of the thoughts and feelings, which 
leads the patient to be forgetful of his social and 
relative position ; and this is exhibited, not as pure 
selfishness, which is too often discoverable in the 
sane, but as morbid selfishness ; as, for instance, the 
insane will neglect themselves, and omit all those 
attentions to cleanliness, &c, which are so neces- 
sary to present comfort, or to the maintenance of 
the comforts of self ; they will be absorbed by the 
one dominant idea, and in that absorption they will 
omit to take food, and all the attentions to clothing 
and warmth, which are so indispensable to health ; 
they will neglect and be averse from their nearest 
relatives and best friends, though it is from them 
they have always derived their comforts, and do 
even now receive all the good which they possess, 
and all the care bestowed upon them : while seek- 
ing their own pleasure, and probably pursuing 
some illusive phantom, they will neglect their own 
interests, and be careless of their health, their pro- 
perty, and of all those who have the highest claims 
upon them ; so that the selfishness of the insane 
will often be remarked as an antithesis to natural 
self-love. 

This, perhaps, is still more distinctly seen in 
their tendency to suicide : the love of life is instinc- 
tive in the man, and is a powerfully operative con- 
servative, or selfish principle : but it is entirely 



OF BODY AND MIND. 463 

superseded in the insane. In them it will be per- 
ceived, that while the feelings are very deep and 
acute, the judgment is feeble, and the mind is quite 
carried away by its own erroneous perceptions ; 
erroneous, because the percipient organ is faulty : 
there is generally a deep feeling of wrong, a con- 
sciousness of error, a profound conviction of moral 
guilt, though scarcely ever assuming a tangible 
form, (and even if it do, it is almost always an 
unreal and visionary form,) succeeded by an endur- 
ing sense of deserving chastisement for their crimes, 
and a fearful looking-for of judgment to come, a 
complete despair of safety, or of restoration to the 
favour of God, and sometimes a belief that they 
have sold themselves to, and are under the power 
of, the devil. Under this invariable condition of 
suffering, they prefer death to the disquietude which 
torments them ; and death as a physical evil, and 
the pain which it must occasion, is thought of as 
nothing, when compared with the moral suffering 
which they endure from the hell of their own 
bosoms. Hence the frequency of suicide, affording 
by the way another proof, that it is not natural 
but morbid selfishness, which is to be found in the 
maniac ; natural selfishness would tend to the 
preservation of life : nothing short of a morbid 
state would induce a person to prefer a condition 
of ultimate and remediless woe, according to his 
own position, to one in which there was a bare 
possibility of improvement ; or to add to the pre- 
sent accumulation of evils, however great, yet this 
one other — the extinction of physical life ; or, in 



464 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

other words, to leap at once into that gulf of 
torment, the bare apprehension of which has been 
sufficient to make life miserable. 

Yet this tendency exists fearfully : none can 
doubt this ; and none can doubt its being the 
highest act of insanity. We mean not to say, that 
every act of suicide results from insanity ; we be- 
lieve the contrary, and that very many such cases 
are the immediate consequence of present disap- 
pointment and sorrows, accompanied by a reckless- 
ness of futurity ; a desire to get rid of present suf- 
fering, and a want of belief in, or consideration of, 
the future attendant miseries ; the influence of pas- 
sion, and the forgetfulness of principle ; feeling 
being strong, and judgment weak ; the present im- 
pression being great, and the resulting inclination 
to destroy life being powerful, while the voice of 
religion is stifled, conscience and its monitions are 
not at hand ; the soft whisper of truth, the " this 
informs me I shall never die," is inaudible ; and 
the act is committed in a state of moody discontent 
with the present, and of desponding isolation from 
the future world. 

But there are many cases of suicide among the 
insane ; and the tendency to self-destruction, as a 
feature of that malady, is fearfully great. One of the 
great characteristics of this state, is the awfully little 
impression upon the morale, that can be made 
by the ministers of religion, or by friends. Moral 
means and motives should never be forgotten ; but 
they will be found unavailing : the patient listens 
indeed, perhaps is convinced ; and ten minutes 



OF BODY AND MIND. 465 

afterwards, the impression comes upon him ; and 
the apparently convinced maniac is a corpse by his 
own hands. It is not our purpose to pursue this 
subject further, than to show the dependence of 
insanity upon irritation of the brain ; and the 
comparatively little use of moral means, unless they 
can alter that state of irritation of the nervous fibre. 



H H 



466 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



CHAPTER VIL 



ON THE INFLUENCE OF MIND OVER THE BODILY 
FUNCTIONS. 

Before we enter upon the more important sub- 
ject of the influence of the body upon the manifes- 
tations of mind, it will be desirable to spend a few 
words upon that reflex influence which is exerted 
by mind upon body. 

Every one is conscious of such influence, so far 
as regards the voluntary muscles : it is in the 
power of the will to employ, or to preserve at rest, 
certain muscles according to the object to be accom- 
plished ; every body is conscious of the power to 
accommodate such muscular movements, so as to 
make them commensurate with the designs of the 
will, whether these movements be small and rapid, 
as in writing, speaking, and various other similar 
functions ; or whether they shall be large and less 
frequently repeated, as in walking, running, leap- 
ing, lifting heavy weights, &c. But persons in 
general are not aware how much the energy of the 



OF EODY AND MIND. 467 

muscles may be increased, and how much more 
than ordinary they will be able to accomplish, 
under certain states of mental excitement, — parti- 
cularly under the influence of motives to self-de- 
fence, or self-preservation. It is thus, that the de- 
licate female will perform feats of muscular power, 
which she would have thought impossible, and 
which would have been impossible under ordinary 
circumstances, but which become possible with the 
aid of mental influence. The same thing will be 
perhaps still more strongly shown in the efforts 
which will be made to save her child from danger, 
for in the female bosom, the love of progeny greatly 
exceeds the love of life; and, therefore, it is here 
that the greatest efforts of self-devotion will be 
found, in order to protect her infant from harm. 
The same law is traceable in man, though not so 
strongly shadowed out, because his muscular power 
is naturally greater, and his mental emotions are 
not of so powerful a character : they are of a dif- 
ferent order ; they will sustain him longer ; they 
will enable him to exercise more fortitude, to endure 
protracted sufferings, to submit to torture, without 
the movement of a muscle : and generally to sustain 
muscular action far longer; this, again, affording 
another cumulative proof of the body being under 
the agency of the mental constitution. 

A very common form in which this agency is 
discerned, is in the varied expressions of the counte- 
nance under different mental emotions; the muscular 
movements produced in laughing and sighing ; and 
the influence upon secretion, as in the flow of tears, 

h h 2 



468 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

&c. Practical physiognomy depends upon this 
law : Nature has given to the human countenance 
a large number of muscles, for the purpose of ex- 
pressing certain feelings, sentiments, emotions, 
passions ; and according to the frequency or pre- 
dominance of these mental states, will be the 
developement of the muscles appointed for such 
purposes, agreeably to another law of nature, 
which increases muscular fibre in proportion to its 
employment ; so that, accordingly as one or other 
set of feelings, agencies, motives, shall prevail, so 
shall the countenance acquire that peculiarity of 
expression, which will be pleasing or the contrary ; 
will win its way to the heart, or will close the 
avenues to friendship ; will betray the benevolent 
or the selfish character ; and in general will ex- 
pound the characteristic properties of the indi- 
vidual. 

So also the emotion of joy will produce the 
smile of peace ; a keen sense of the ridiculous will 
occasion laughter ; ennui will give rise to the irre- 
sistible yawn : fortitude will occasion a fixed state 
of the muscles of the face, teeth closed, and 
clenched hands, with the determination not to 
give utterance to the sense of suffering ; grief 
heaves the involuntary sigh, and at the same time 
acting upon the glandular system, the big tear- 
drop rolls down the cheek of the heart-broken ; 
the secretion of saliva is arrested — the mouth be- 
comes dry — appetite is gone — digestion is impos- 
sible — all the nutritive functions are suppressed ; 
and if the emotion be long continued, the failure 



OF BODY AND MIND. 469 

of the nutritive system is shown in the wasted and 
attenuated form of its unhappy victim. 

The influence of mind upon body is further 
shown in the faculty of imitation. This is re- 
markably exemplified in the acquisition of lan- 
guage; an image of the thing is formed in the 
brain, perceived by the mind, and associated with 
certain sounds which have been employed to repre- 
sent such image ; and the message being commu- 
nicated through the nerves to the organs of speech, 
certain movements of muscle, &c. take place, by 
the aid of the faculty of imitation, which form the 
required articulate sounds. 

The danger arising from this faculty of involun- 
tarily imitating others, so as to contract their 
" gaucheries," their awkward habits, their little 
frailties and infirmities, must have been felt by 
every person who has at all attended to himself. 
One cannot be long in the society of an individual 
who stammers, without feeling a tendency towards 
a similar infirmity, as well as towards an erroneous 
pronunciation, or any other little foible, such as 
the method of walking or talking, &c. 

The moral influence, as it is termed, of com- 
panionship is very great, and is acknowledged by 
all ; so that all are cautious of the society in which 
they place their children, and all are desirous of 
preserving them from the contamination of evil de- 
sires, and vicious propensities, and immoral prac- 
tices, because of the danger of imitation. 

This is still further shown in the manifestation 
of disorder ; there are very many disturbances of 



470 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the health which are produced by this sinister 
influence of the mind upon the body, and of the 
faculty of imitation arising therefrom ; so that it 
is very important to remove an epileptic or hyste- 
rical patient from the sight of others ; or in those 
who are pre-disposed to these affections, epilepsy 
and hysteria will be sure to follow. 

There is a state produced by this influence, 
which I have noticed several times, by which I was 
at first deceived, and which will be best shown by 
the following history, the first in which this con- 
dition came to be understood. I had been at- 
tending a very dear medical friend, who was se- 
riously, but I hoped, not dangerously ill. An 
express was sent, begging my earliest attendance, 

and on my arrival I found there Dr. , a 

mutual friend. Our invalid friend had awakened 
from a short slumber, with a sense of sinking, and 
under an impression that he was dying ; he had 
made his last testamentary disposition ; he had 
taken leave of his family ; and he accosted me by 

saying that he was dying. Dr. F and myself 

both thought differently, though both were aware 
that this impression of mind upon body — this belief 
of impending death might occasion positive, final, 
irretrievable death. We stated our opinion to our 
disbelieving patient; and the case remained an 
anxious one for some days, from the continuance 
of the same mental impression, and from the sleep- 
lessness thus induced. We continued our united 
attendance for a week, and we had the pleasure 
of witnessing our friend's convalescence, although 



OF BODY AND MIND. 471 

he remained nervous for a long time, and required 
change of air and scene ; and although the influence 
of the mind upon the body remained conspicuous 
and interfered with his progress. The same cir- 
cumstances have presented themselves to me, se- 
veral times since, and with always a similar result ; 
and this phenomenon has now so frequeutly re- 
curred, that it is invariably placed to the account 
of the influence of mind upon body. 

The same law is exemplified in the production 
of disease ; witness the sudden disturbance of func- 
tion brought on by intense feeling or passion — 
giving rise to fainting on the one hand, and to 
apoplexy on the other ; witness, the slowly-con- 
suming agency of some deep and hidden feeling — 
some feeling which sinks into the heart, and preys 
upon the citadel of life, which pales the cheek, 
blanches the lip, saps the energy, sinks the eye, 
quickens the circulation and the breathing, ex- 
hausts the strength, and consigns to an early tomb 
the victim of hopeless, undiscovered passion. Wit- 
ness, again, the influence of misfortune, as in the 
following narrative occurring within the author's 
own circle. Three brothers entered into some most 
successful speculations, and realized very large 
profits ; but they continued the speculation ; one 
bargain more ! And now the tide had turned ; the 
article they had bought had been carried up by 
speculation to an unnatural height, and they could 
no longer sell, except at a loss ; they still hoped 
for a favourable re-action, but depression was the 
order of the day ; to save their credit they must 



472 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

sell ; they could only do so at a ruinous sacrifice ; 
they could not meet their responsibilities ; they 
stopped payment ; next morning one had died by 
his own hands ; another was seized by apoplexy, 
and lived only a few hours ; the third died in a 
few months from ulceration of the stomach. Here 
we see beautifully, though painfully, exhibited, the 
influence of mind upon body, according to the 
several peculiarities of that body ; the first pro- 
ducing insanity, for we will charitably hope, that 
the suicide was the act of a maniac, and insanity 
had been rife in his family ; the second, in over- 
turning the integrity of the vascular system of the 
brain ; the third in producing organic disease of 
the stomach. 

And this very naturally brings us to mention 
the influence of mind upon the digestive organs. 
It is very marked even in a state of health; joy 
or sorrow will suspend and supersede hunger ; every 
powerful emotion after a considerable meal will 
upset digestion, and interfere with nutrition ; and 
these impressions frequently repeated will convert 
functional disorder into organic disease ; some one 
of the digestive organs, (whichever happens to be 
possessed of the weakest power of vitality,) gives 
way, and becomes the seat of structural change, 
more or less incompatible with health, or even with 
life. We have not noticed affections of the heart ; 
but its diseases are always found to be more pre- 
valent in troublous times; in fact, accordingly as 
it shall have been called upon for more or less 



OF BODY AND MIND. 473 

of extraordinary excitement. Everybody knows 
what is understood by a broken heart ; and death 
produced by mental agency upon this viscus is not 
uncommon. 

In conducting this inquiry, we cannot pass over 
the agency of mind in the cure, as well as in the 
production of disease, and especially in those cases 
which have been deemed miraculous. It is an old- 
fashioned remark, that "foi est tout." Now al- 
though we bj- no means admit this position, yet 
we apprehend that there will be found none so 
hardy as to affirm, that faith has not a considerable 
influence in the removal of disorder. Even those 
who will be disposed to deny the proposition in 
theory, will admit it in fact, or when put in ano- 
ther shape ; as, for instance, none will deny that 
the confidence of a patient in his medical attend- 
ant materially aids his recovery, and that the 
absence of this confidence makes against him; and 
further still, that the agency of medicine is assisted 
or retarded by the presence or absence of this con- 
fidence. And what is this confidence but a belief 
in the power of the physician, and of his means 
to alleviate and remove the existing suffering; 
and what is this belief but faith ? The fact is 
notorious ; and to secure this confidence, the phy- 
sician has often to medicine the mind — to humour 
its prejudices — to meet and dismiss them by a side 
wind, rather than by open opposition ; and in 
various ways to recollect, that his best-directed 
prescriptions will foil of producing their intended 



474 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

influence, unless he can enlist into his views the 
beneficial agency of the patient's mind over his 
body. 

And this brings us to the question of miraculous 
cure ; and of those cures so said to be effected in 
these latter days. No Christian will doubt the 
reality of these cures as performed by our Lord, 
and his apostles. None can doubt that our Om- 
nipotent Lord had power to cure diseases at his 
word, or at his will ; and that this power was con- 
tinued to his immediate successors, — a body of 
men raised up for an especial purpose as witnesses 
of the truth of Christ's mission, of His death, of His 
resurrection. None, moreover, can doubt the prin- 
ciple upon which these cures were effected ; or that 
faith was necessary to their completion; " thy 
faith hath saved thee ;" " thy faith hath made thee 
whole;" " seeing he had faith to be healed;" " I 
have not found so great faith, no not in Israel ;" 
" Dost thou believe in the Son of God ?" " The 
father believed those things which were spoken by 
Christ." Therefore, it is not a question with us 
as to the miracles of our Lord, or as to the agency 
of mind upon body, in producing these effects 
under Christ's command ; these are truths of sacred 
and inspired history — the objects of our belief — 
and the promoters of our sure trust and confidence 
in the Most High. 

But our attention is to be directed to those 
modern miracles, or rather pretended miracles of 
later days. And in doing this, we would first 
of all make a distinction between results which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 475 

have accrued from the influence of fanatical cre- 
dulity, and those which may have arisen from the 
enthusiastic agency of a true faith. In the former 
instance, we shall trace the covert wiles of a de- 
signing hypocrisy — the barefaced impudence of 
mendacious imposture ; or, at least, the clouds and 
darkness of the grossest ignorance : in the latter 
we find a warm heart, without a very expanded 
intelligence, carried away by the excess of its own 
right feelings ; and led into extravagancies, which 
the more deeply thinking must deplore, because 
of their certain and inevitable recoil upon principles, 
which, in common, all Christians hold most dear, 
and for the maintenance of which we would ear- 
nestly contend. It is always painful to interfere 
with such hallowed emotions ; but if it shall be 
shown that these agencies, however apparently 
dissimilar in their origin, do, in fact, produce si- 
milar effects, by acting upon an identical part of 
our compounded nature ; and that their ultimate 
results are more conducive to the progress of error 
than of truth ; it may well be questioned, how far 
the indulgence of such feelings and emotions may 
be praiseworthy —how far they may be innocuous 
to the parties so indulged — how far they ma\^ not 
be injurious to the glory of God, and the eventual 
good of man I 

The example of Prince Hohenlohe, the most 
successful of all modern performers of miraculous 
operations, may be quoted as a fair exposition of 
the former condition ; while that of some supposed 
miraculous cures in our own country a few years 



476 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

since, and of which we shall again have occasion 
to speak, may be considered as a favourable spe- 
cimen of the latter. Both parties equally maintain, 
though with somewhat different arguments, that 
the power of working miracles still exists, as in the 
days of the apostles, provided that the party work- 
ing the miracle, and those on whom it is worked, 
do really possess a sufficiency of faith, a full and 
entire confidence in Christ Jesus, and in his Al- 
mighty power, with a firm reliance that He will 
exercise that power, through their believing agen- 
cies. 

It would not do for us to follow the history of 
this seemingly disinterested, and successful ope- 
rator, or to contrast it with less questionable 
modern evidence. It should appear, that in the 
early cases, which gave rise to his reputation, the 
cure had already been effected by the slow and 
combined operation of time, and rest, and reme- 
dies, — and that there was wanting only a powerful 
stimulus to the function of volition, to give the 
required increased energy to the muscles ; and 
then with a knowledge of the influence of mind 
upon matter, and with a patient of lively imagina- 
tion, and highly-wrought sensibility, it was not 
difficult to calculate the probable result; a result 
which was proclaimed as miraculous, because not 
produced by ordinary means \ and which served 
at once to stamp the cure with a sacredness, which 
made it more than questionable whether it would 
be prudent to hesitate, or hint a doubt as to the 
method of its accomplishment. 






OF BODY AND MIND. 



477 



The enthusiasm arising from these results, how- 
ever, gradually faded ; and a reputation, which, 
in fact, had only rested upon the great power 
exerted by the brain and nervous system, (as the 
exponents of mental influence,) upon all the other 
vital functions, when that influence had been car- 
ried up to its highest pitch of tension by favouring 
circumstances, was gradually outlived. So long as 
these plans were carried on in public, in the midst 
of an enthusiastic and ignorant circle — so long, 
success, at least temporary success, was the result, 
and miraculous agency the alleged cause, But 
when these experiments came to be repeated, be- 
fore well-informed and competent judges, the result 
was either altogether unsuccessful, or it was no- 
thing more than could at any time be produced 
by any intelligent person, knowing how to give 
a proper direction to, and proportionably to excite, 
an already highly-excited brain and nervous 
system. 

Still as we have adduced the present as an ex- 
ample of the influence of mind upon matter, and 
as we have referred these pseudo-miraculous cures 
to the physical laws of our incorporated nature ; 
and as there is abundant evidence, that through 
the supposed efficacy of a holy name, the deaf 
heard, the blind saw, and the paralytic was re- 
stored to the use of his limbs, it becomes necessary 
to inquire a little into the circumstances, in order 
that we may judge of the truth : and especially 
is it necessary, to recollect that the influence of 
novelty gives a charm to circumstances and nar- 



478 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

rations, which prompts mankind to believe and to 
admire them, because they are new, without suffi- 
ciently investigating their title to credibility and 
completeness ; and entirely forgetting, that in 
order to establish truth, and to distinguish genuine 
from pretended miracles, it is indispensable in all 
questions of deviation from the established laws of 
nature, that the facts should be authentic — that 
they should be related by persons capable of judging 
of the circumstances under which they occurred, 
and sufficiently impartial to detail them without 
gloss or exaggeration — equally and most carefully 
avoiding the ebullition of popular feeling, which 
always bears to the side of the marvellous, and the 
frigid scepticism of those who will admit and be- 
lieve nothing which does not possess the demonstra- 
tion of the exact sciences. 

Let us judge how far the mind was wrought 
upon by Prince Hohenlohe in the performance of 
his cures. It appears from the published docu- 
cuments that there was no hope of success, unless 
the patient possessed a full and unshaken confidence 
in God, and a belief, not only that He could, but 
that He would, succour those, who in sincerity 
sought the relief to be afforded through His ser- 
vant, the operator. Having ascertained this from 
the patient, the Prince besought God graciously to 
remove the disease of the individual, and restore 
his lost health, both for the immediate good of the 
patient, the support and comfort of His church, 
and the glory of His great Name, pleading for an 
answer to this prayer, on the ground of the promise 






OF BODY AMD MIND. 479 

of our Lord Jesus Christ — " Whatsoever ye shall 
ask of the Father in my name, He will give it 
you ;" on the ground of the faith of the sick indi- 
vidual; and, finally, for the honour of His great 
name. After a solemn benediction, the patient 
was asked, if he felt himself relieved, and, having 
given an affirmative reply, he was commanded in 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to arise and 
walk without assistance. At the least appearance 
of fear, hesitation, or anxiety, the patient was 
exhorted to a firm and unlimited confidence in 
God — to take courage, and to gain a victory over 
himself, since Divine grace had assuredly placed him 
in a situation to employ his limbs, if he would use 
on his part the required exertion. And then, if 
the event did not correspond with the prediction, 
he encouraged the patient for futurity — saying, 
that it often happened, that the sick were not 
worthy of this grace at the moment, and that their 
healing at that time would not ultimately be be- 
neficial to their soul's health ; but that they might, 
by fasting, by prayer, and penance, and continued 
progress in good works, so prepare themselves for 
future acceptance with God, that He would then 
grant their prayer. 

Here is, indeed, abundantly shown the influence 
of a false religion, which is peculiarly a religion 
of feeling; but leaving this consideration, it is not 
easy to divine a process better calculated to exalt 
the sensibility of the nervous system, to excite the 
brain to its utmost activity, and to create such a 
degree of energy of volition, as to give to this 



480 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

faculty that astonishing power, which, as we have 
already seen, could carry the patient out of, and 
beyond himself; and thus effect a permanent cure, 
in those who were suffering only from a debility 
of this function ; while it would for a time suspend 
the laws of morbid action, even in some cases of 
permanent disease ; and these would recur, when 
the excitement was past, as was, in fact, the case in 
numberless instances. 

The performance of these miracles attracted the 
attendance of many who came to be healed, and of 
many others, who came from curiosity, to witness 
the exhibition of this extraordinary power, ren- 
dered still more extraordinary by the fact, that the 
acts of healing were entirely gratuitous, and pro- 
duced no ostensible benefit to the " healer." Pub- 
licity was apparently courted by the Prince ; public 
places were often chosen for the performance of his 
miracles ; and in the process, there was no effort 
at concealment, no secret arts, no mysteries, no 
particular manifestations ; everything wore the 
appearance of the genuine simplicity of one who 
believed himself gifted of God to heal the sick ; 
all of which shows an intimate acquaintance with 
human nature, and a consequent power to avail 
himself of those physical laws, the influence of 
which he had found to be so predominant, as very 
generally to produce, and almost to ensure these 
surprising results ; and so much warmth, and zeal, 
and energy, did he appear to throw into his pro- 
ceedings, that the general enthusiasm augmented 
at every word, and that the assembled multitudes 



OF BODY AND MIND. 481 

united most earnestly their own prayers, and wishes, 
and hopes for the recovery of the sick, and for the 
health of the soul of the performer. 

It must be remarked, that the class of diseases 
upon which these wonders were wrought, were 
generally those which depended upon some loss 
of energy of the nervous or muscular systems ; and 
occasionally, the sphere of these curative essays 
was extended to apparently organic affections. 
But any well-informed medical person knows, that 
these affections are often only apparent, and depend 
really upon a certain morbid condition of the nerves 
which supply the organ ; and that this state is not 
only remediable, but that it often is removed by 
means which act upon the nervous system ; by 
those which distract the attention from old morbid 
associations, and substitute new ones ; and some- 
times without any means at all, by the mere agency 
of time, and the gradual fading into forgetfulness 
of the original morbid impression. These experi- 
ments were never made upon a deaf and dumb 
person — upon a case of blindness, produced by 
disorganisation of the eye — upon spinal deformity 
which had resulted from the destruction of the 
bodies of the vertebrae — upon the loss of a limb — 
or upon a disorganised joint. In fact, the de- 
partment of cure was limited to that class of chronic 
diseases which depends for its characteristic inten- 
sity upon a peculiar laxity of the nervous fibre ; a 
fact of primary importance, since it shows the 
influence of mind upon the bodily functions and 
structure in the cure of disease. 

i i 



482 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Our space does not admit of very full details as 
to the history of these cures ; one general issue 
may, however, be stated, — that the patients being 
previously wrought up to the highest pitch of 
expectation, they were filled by the enthusiasm of 
devotional feeling ; their bosoms heaved with the 
liveliest emotions ; they were called out of them- 
selves, and in some instances they actually felt, 
and in others thought they felt, their pains diminish, 
and gradually disappear. There is then a great 
similarity between this influence and that of animal 
magnetism, and some other curative plans, which 
have rested their entire value upon the influence 
of mind over the body ; an influence which is most 
extraordinary — is deeply and extensively operative, 
— and yet baffles all our efforts to ascertain the 
mode of its action. In every instance of this kind 
there is one master principle, viz. the agitating 
influence of the belief of some unknown and super- 
natural agency — producing a predominant impres- 
sion upon the nervous system, and through it, 
upon all the associations of mind, and all the 
varied functions of body, — that is, upon all the func- 
tions which depend for their continuance upon the 
integrity of the cerebral and spinal nervous systems. 
It is certain, that in the instances referred to, a 
very considerable effect was wrought upon many 
individuals ; but it is also true, that this was greatly 
exaggerated by the ultra-zeal of warm friends, by 
an excited imagination, and by a dislike on the 
part of the sick to acknowledge that they had not 
faith to be healed. In general, the effect was pal- 



OF BODY AND MIND, 483 

liative only, diminishing pain, or relieving it for a 
time, to return after a longer or shorter interval, 
when the influence of the excitement had subsided : 
and it was curative in those happy instances, in 
which nature, or antecedent treatment, had already 
effected a cure ; and an adequate degree of excite- 
ment alone, was required to give pristine energy to 
the restored but weakened organs : or when the 
malady had fixed its grasp upon the nervous 
system, and only some new and powerful impres- 
sion was necessary to supersede its morbid habit. 

In estimating the influence of mind upon the cure 
of disease, it is necessary to keep in view the dis- 
tinction, between that which is curative, and that 
which is merely palliative ; the former puts an end 
to disease, and restores the patient to perfect health ; 
but the latter (where organic changes have taken 
place to such an extent, that they can no longer be 
overtaken by treatment) consists in allaying irrita- 
tion, diminishing pain, enfeebling sympathetic 
phenomena, taking care of the general health, at- 
tending to the functional derangement of other 
organs ; arresting, as far as possible, the organic 
changes which are going on in the part primarily 
affected, and thereby diminishing the danger to the 
general system, which is almost always destroyed, 
by the giving way of some one organ in the first 
place. 

Another very important distinction is, between 
being really ill, and feeling ill. Many persons are 
extremely ill without feeling so, to an extent which 
renders it difficult to awaken the necessary atten- 

n2 



464 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tion to themselves ; and, on the contrary, many 
others, without disease, experience such miserable 
sensations, that they believe themselves ill, and 
seek a remedy, which will enable them to escape 
from their own feelings. It is this state, which too 
frequently drives the miserable patient to the em- 
ployment of alcoholic or opiate stimuli; or turns 
him over to the tender mercies of some impudent 
pretender ; especially if the usual medical attend- 
ant, under whose care and management he first 
falls, does not happen to possess his full confidence, 
or does not know how to preserve it, or is not 
himself well versed in the mutations of the nervous 
system. 

The limit to this curative influence of mind upon 
matter, is, that it can effect no permanent cure of 
any organic structural alteration; and this it is 
which forms the essential difference between the 
pseudo-miracles of the latter days, which are effected 
through natural, though ill-understood agencies ; — 
and the miracles of our Lord and his apostles, which 
were direct, immediate, perfect, — without natural 
or adequate means, and to which disease of struc- 
ture was no impediment to the cure. 

The agency of the mind upon the body is pro- 
duced and kept up through the influence of the 
nervous system, a medium of communication, every- 
where distributed with the minutest care, and in 
the richest profusion ; possessing its grand centre 
in the head, while its various parts and subordinate 
systems are so closely, so carefully, and so exten- 
sively connected with each other, as to indicate 



OF BODY AND MIND, 485 

most clearly the perfection of Divine Wisdom, dis- 
played in preserving its uninterrupted and harmo- 
nious intercourse, and in securing the most general 
impression ; not the minutest sensation occurs at 
the extremity of the system, but it is instantaneously 
propagated to its centre ; not a desire is excited in 
the mind, but a corresponding action is set up in 
the organ destined for its gratification ; and the 
endless variety of communication with its several 
regions, by means of plexus, ganglia, interlacing, 
and decussation of fibres, separate twigs of inter- 
course, and the one agency of the great sympathetic 
nerve, is such as to overwhelm the mind with asto- 
nishment. In some particular forms of malady, 
this intimate union and communication may be 
suspended ; yet it can never altogether cease, but 
with life ; while in a great number of diseases, there 
appears to be such an excitation of the nervous 
system, as to give to the influence of mind upon 
body a greater power than it would obtain in a 
perfectly healthy condition ; and these are precisely 
the states of disorder most favourable for the 
pseudo-miraculous cures, viz. those which originally 
result from, or are kept up by, disorder of the nervous 
function. 

Without this influence upon the mental system, 
the physician will in vain employ all the resources 
of his art ; he will be stinted to one class of curative 
measures, important, certainly, but less important 
than the influence of the medical practitioner upon 
the mind, and his knowledge of the mental and 
moral manifestations of the sick, and of the best 



486 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

method of deriving advantage from these condi- 
tions. Admitting this to be case, in the greater 
number of instances, the cure of disease may be 
well said to be dependent upon miraculous agency, 
if the essential character of such agency were de- 
fined to consist in everything which exists beyond 
the ordinary bounds of human intelligence ; which it 
is beyond our power to explain ; and which exceeds 
the limits of perception through the medium of the 
senses. Thus it is frequently said, that events take 
place, as by a special act of the sovereignty of God, 
without the intervention of adequate apparent 
means. But if we knew all the circumstances of 
these supposed preternatural events, we should 
find that it was our ignorance which induced us to 
imagine the especial interference with nature's esta- 
blished laws ; and which threw the semblance of 
mystery over events, which would be explicable, did 
we possess more knowledge, and a more intimate 
acquaintance with the laws, which God himself has 
established in his creating power and providential 
goodness. 

This review of the influence of the mind upon 
the body, will lead us to the following conclu- 
sions : — 

a. The more we become acquainted with the 
phenomena of the nervous system, the more do we 
find to wonder and admire in the secret me- 
chanism by which these movements are accom- 
plished. 

b. Disorders of the nervous system, and espe- 
cially those which are occasioned by any disturb- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 487 

ance in the function of volition, are peculiarly those 
which will be found removable by the influence of 
mental excitement, or by means of powerful impres- 
sions, acting vehemently upon the brain or nervous 
s y stem . 

c. These impressions may be bodily as well as 
mental; but it is the latter which are most powerful 
in their influence, particularly if they involve the 
more deeply operative passions of our nature. 

d. In organic structural diseases of the system, 
nervous excitement will only accelerate a fatal ter- 
mination. 

e. That form of malady which involves the idea 
of apparitions, has been clearly traced back to the 
effects of disordered nervous function. 

f. The exercise of charity in judging of disordered 
mental manifestation is indispensable. In contem- 
plating the extent of structural disease, and disor- 
ganisation of the brain, which is often rendered 
cognisable after the patient's death, and which has 
scarcely been suspected during life, one deeply 
painful sentiment presents itself to the feeling mind, 
viz. that of having judged harshly during life, and 
of having attributed to moral obliquity that which 
really arose from physical infirmity. It is often 
under these circumstance, that we attribute irascibi- 
lity, and too great sensibility upon trifles, to the 
want of a duly-regulated mind, when they are 
actually dependent upon an irritated brain : in- 
dolence and inactivity are imputed to the absence 
of sufficient motives to produce action, when they 
arise from sensorial torpor, from the physical want of 



488 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

power to set in action those motives ; and the 
negation of proper diligence and exertion in the 
right way, is ascribed to the want of a keen sense 
of moral duty, whereas all these may arise from 
a feebleness of the function of volition, that again 
being dependent upon an enfeebled, or oppressed 
brain. 

g. These conclusions may be followed out in a 
variety of details, but it is unnecessary. It is, 
however, very important, while stating these facts, 
to guard them against misapplication. Every dis- 
ordered mental manifestation is not attributable to 
diseased brain ; and it must never be forgotten, that 
each individual is minutely responsible for all his 
mental manifestations, so long as he is in a state of 
cerebral health ; it is for each individual to judge 
of himself severely, to scrutinize very narrowly his 
motives and conduct, and the secret springs of all 
his actions and emotions ; but it is for every Chris- 
tian to judge of others with an enlarged and ex- 
pansive charity. 

h. While, then, we are careful to avoid falling 
into a notion of the omnipotence of bodily structure, 
or of disordered cerebral function, in their agency 
upon the manifestations of mind, and especially 
upon human motives, let us be guided by the chaste 
light of christian charity, in our application of 
these motives. None sees the heart, but God only ; 
and may we be desirous of leaving the judgment 
in his hands, who knoweth the end from the be- 
ginning ! 

There is a point often mooted both by medical 



OF BODY AND MIND. 489 

persons, by moralists, and divines, and by the 
public generally, which bears considerably on this 
influence of the mind over the body, viz. the con- 
duct which ought to be pursued towards the sick, 
in acquainting them with, or withholding from 
them, the knowledge of their danger. And as 
this inquiry is not without its difficulties, and is 
altogether an important one, both to the sick them- 
selves and to their surrounding friends, we shall 
venture upon considering it a little in detail. 

It is the first duty of the physician to save life, 
and to sustain health, and to employ all the re- 
sources of his art to lengthen the duration of existence, 
and to preserve it from all dangers which threaten its 
continuance. It is to be supposed, that we are now 
dealing with a christian physician, who believes 
in a superintending Providence, who thankfully 
owns, that all his talents are derived from the 
Author and Giver of all good, and who feels himself 
deeply responsible for the employment of those 
talents, as the means w 7 hich God has vouchsafed for 
the accomplishment of His designs. Such an one 
feels, that while events are not in his hands, and 
that he has no power %o command success — but that, 
on the contrary, the issue is in the will of the Om- 
nipotent; yet, that as he is not acquainted with 
that will, it is his duty to act in conformity w r ith its 
general principles, so far as he is acquainted with 
them. Now, one of the general principles is, the 
preservation of life ; and therefore he is doing- 
God's will, in endeavouring to effect this object by 
all lawful means . And he is minutely responsible, 



490 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

as much for his errors of omission, as of commis- 
sion, provided they be wilful; or shall have arisen 
from indolence, or carelessness, or anything short 
of his having done his very best, to arrest the 
ravages of disorder and to restore health. In doing 
this, he employs means to an end according to the 
best of his knowledge ; and he often speaks of, and 
thinks of those means as adequate to produce cer- 
tain results. It is not that he forgets God, or that 
he loses sight of His power to save life, and to kill ; 
or believes that means will be useful, unless they 
be so rendered by the blessing of God : he knows 
and feels all this ; but in default of his knowledge 
of the will of Heaven, in the particular case, he 
employs fearlessly the means he possesses of ac- 
complishing, what he does know of the will of God ; 
and in so doing, he employs these means, as if they 
were capable of producing their intended results, 
exactly in the same way, as man every day takes 
food, with the full and certain confidence, that 
it will nourish his body, though at the same time, 
it will only do so, if God will. 

Much more than enough has been said about this 
conduct of medical persons, with regard to means. 
We admit, that he is culpable, who, in his employ- 
ment of means, forgets the hand which gives them 
power : but we insist, that he is not less culpable, 
who employs them feebly, because uncertain whether 
he is doing the will of Heaven ; and who, from the 
inertness of his practice, suffers his patient to die, 
because he will not be a little more energetic, a 
little more confiding in the application of his re- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 491 

sources. By the proposition, therefore, he who 

cannot be acquainted with the certain result of any 

case, however much he may forebode evil, is guilty, 

if, by lack of zeal and energy in the use of all his 

means, he puts his patient into a position, in which 

his forebodings will be probably realized ; and who 

destroys or impairs that cheerful confidence in 

himself, from his patient, which we have seen to be 

almost indispensable to the successful agency of 

remedies. Moreover it follows, that the physician 

has not completed his duty, when he has merely 

prescribed for his patient, if he has forgotten his 

compound nature, and has omitted to prescribe 

medicine for his mind ; perhaps has even left that 

mind to prey upon the body, and to defeat his best 

intended efforts for the preservation of life. The 

darkness of ignorance may rest upon it ; the clouds 

of error may obscure its perceptions ; the storms of 

unsubdued passion may sweep across its surface; 

the recollections of the past may be embittered by 

many an unrepented sin ; the prospects of futurity 

may be undefined from being buried in habitual 

forgetfulness ; or the night of despondency may 

brood her sable wing over the sick man's pillow ; 

and each one of these states may be more than a 

counterpoise to the influence of medicine. It is 

for the skilful and christian physician to penetrate 

this cloud, to lift, without drawing aside, the veil 

which conceals these states from public view ; and 

gently to lead the mind to such considerations as 

shall give it peace — well-founded peace, — as every 

one knows,— the state of all others, which will 



492 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

carry a patient through the largest amount of dis- 
order, and yet carry him safely through. Now in 
this process he has no right, nor even an excuse for 
deceiving the patient, as to the probable issue of 
his malady ; he has no right, nor even an excuse 
for stating simply the terrors of religion : — in an- 
nouncing the former probability, he should exercise 
a sound discretion ; he should cling to the side of 
hope rather than of fear ; should avow, that he 
himself knows nothing of despondency, that he is 
energised to action by difficulties, and acts with 
more vigour and determined perseverance, in pro- 
portion to those difficulties ; but that in all cases, it 
is the will of God, not our will, which determines 
results ; we cannot command success, but we may 
and wiil deserve it. With regard to the moral and 
religious state, an observation from a medical friend, 
falls with much greater force, than from a clergy- 
man, and therefore should be guarded ; it should 
be scriptural, and if scriptural, it abounds in hope 
and cheerful promise ; it speaks of a God of mercy 
and love, of one who is waiting to forgive — who is 
waiting to be reconciled to the sincere suppliant, 
who delighteth not to punish, who wills and invites 
all to come unto him, and to be saved from their 
sins, and relieved from their sorrows. 

There are those who would consider this process 
as temporising. We do not admit the term. But 
granting that it were true, is it nothing to gain 
time under such circumstances ? Is not time every- 
thing where moments are of such infinite import- 
ance ? Is it nothing to gain time for the unfor- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 493 

tunate suicidal maniac ? If time be gained for 
him, is there not more hope of his safety, than if 
he were a corpse by his own hands ? Is it nothing 
to extend the day of his opportunities — to administer 
the hope and consolation which will sustain him, 
and enable him to evince his sincerity by the con- 
duct of after life? Sickness is not the time for 
serious thought, but it is often the occasion of 
inducing that serious thought which leads to re- 
pentance towards God, and reformation towards 
man ; which turns the heart, and amends the life ; 
which alters the whole course of thought, and makes 
of man a new creature, a better husband, father, 
friend, and member of society ; and is it nothing 
to place him in the best position for this, so de- 
sirable change ? 

It will be seen that these remarks relate to the 
mode of medicining the mind, not to the question 
as to whether a patient is to be deceived! What! 
deceived on the limit of eternity ? deceived, when 
perhaps in a few days or hours, eternity may be 
employed in cursing his deceivers? Awful respon- 
sibility ! and most fearfully punished for its neg- 
lect ! To place before the patient the almost cer- 
tainty of recovery, when the hope of such issue 
is slender, is worse than thoughtless, and infatuated ; 
it is demented or irreligious ! ! At the same time, 
a hasty or brusque manner of revealing danger, would 
often snap the attenuated thread of life ; and for 
this, the physician is, cceteris paribus, as responsible 
as he who takes life. In both cases, the respective 
parties may have executed the determinations of 



494 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Infinite Wisdom, but with these they have nothing 
to do; they have been voluntary agents, and are 
responsible for their own acts, as free ; they have 
acted without constraint, and must answer without 
excuse. It is, then, rather to the manner of com- 
municating this knowledge than to the thing itself, 
that so much difference of opinion may exist. By 
an intelligent observer of human nature — of the 
progress of malady, and of a patient's individual 
character, both moral and physical, these objects 
will not be found irreconcileable, — viz. to speak the 
truth, yet cheer the sufferer ; to state that the sun 
is setting, and yet to fringe his evening glories 
with a beauty which is inimitable, except in nature, 
and which, even in nature, is not to be found, but 
in departing day, when night's sable mantle is about 
to shroud and sepulchre all the living, glowing 
tints of light. 

We would never justify, or even palliate, the 
absurd system of keeping the sick in ignorance of 
his state, and studiously alienating his atten- 
tion from the great subjects of religion, and draw- 
ing an impenetrable veil over his prospects for 
futurity, on the principle of not disturbing his 
present peace, and of crying, " Peace, peace, when 
there is no peace;" as if the slumbering inmate 
of a house on fire is not to be wakened, lest his 
sleep should be disturbed, and lest he be alarmed 
upon finding his perilous situation ; or as if the 
careless one who has fallen asleep on the edge of 
a beetling precipice, when the next nod will pro- 
bably precipitate him into eternity, is not to be 



OF BODY AND MIND. 495 

quietly and gently roused, and warned of his 
danger ! Nothing can be more dangerous in mo- 
rality ; nothing more subversive of all sound rea- 
soning, good practice, social duty, benevolence to 
man, or religious principle ! But when the trem- 
bling balance of life is so nicely adjusted, that the 
slightest weight thrown into the one scale will 
immediately sink it beyond the possibility of vibra- 
tion ; and when that balance is held by the me- 
dical man under God, then we should not only 
consider it as sinful in such medical person, to 
throw in that weight by his own depressing con- 
duct ; but that it would be likewise criminal in 
him to withhold the weight of his influence from 
the opposite scale, in which he is bound to employ 
every faculty he possesses, to maintain the power 
of his patient, while the fearful struggle with the 
destroying cause is continued. 

A distinction must here be^drawn between 
acute and chronic disorder. In the former, if 
danger attend the sick, and the powers of the 
system are rapidly exhausting, and dissolution is 
approaching ; to withdraw any of the props on 
which that system rests — to take away the support- 
ing influence of mind, is to sink it inevitably, 
without any compensating good : for, in such 
fearful disease really serious thought is impossible ; 
and the individual who so acts is accessory to the 
destruction of body and soul, if that soul is un- 
prepared to meet its God. In such states of acute 
suffering, the patient is always too much occupied 
with disease to think at all, or to think correctly ; 



496 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and the appointed medium for the reception and 
conveyance of thought (the brain and nervous 
system) is too much under the influence of excita- 
tion, or depression, or perverted agency, according 
to the varying conditions of malady, to rely in any 
degree upon its manifestations. 

But in the lengthened attendance, the changeful 
forms, the fitful advances, the languor, the pro- 
gress, the gradual exhaustion of chronic ailment, 
there are abundant opportunities for leading the 
patient to a consideration of the brevity and un- 
certainty of life ; to the frequent unfortunate issue 
of long-continued organic disease; to the agency 
of remedies, secondary in themselves, and under the 
government of the Most High ; successful, or the 
contrary, according to his will ; and to the neces- 
sity for preparedness for every event, however much 
we are bound to hope, to seek, to pray for restora- 
tion, in submission to Him, whose power we daily 
acknowledge, and to whose appointments we con- 
stantly, and often unthinkingly, say, " Thy will 
be done," when the heart secretly adds, " So far 
as it is in conformity with my own /" The wisdom 
and the prudence of trying both sides of a question, 
which involves uncertainty as to its issue, may 
always be introduced ; more especially, where that 
knowledge involves eternal happiness or misery. 
The necessity of always making provision for the 
events of life, for the disposition of property here — 
for the protection of property from fire, or other 
accident — and the insurance of life, as a guarantee 
for the interests of survivors, are so many points 



OF BODY AND MIND. 497 

on which to ground the importance and necessity 
of the individual insuring for himself, when a still 
higher stake is involved, even present peace, and 
a future eternity of happiness. The former is very 
constantly mentioned, and one of the usual argu- 
ments is, that patients will not die the sooner for 
having settled their affairs ; and will they die the 
sooner for having settled their spiritual affairs, and 
obtained a guarantee for futurity, in the promises 
of God, to the sincere penitent ? Again, the good- 
ness and the mercy of God, in afflicting his chil- 
dren, and thus calling their attention to serious 
things ; to the solemn realities of an unseen, 
eternal world ; the natural reflections of a sick 
room, and of abstraction from all the enjoyments 
w T hich health and activity confer ; the kind atten- 
tion of friends ; gratitude for the constant supply 
of the wants of an invalid ; the aids of medicine 
and science in relieving distressing symptoms; the 
great advantage as well as duty of a contented 
mind ; the direction of the patient's reading ; and 
the recollection, that in a feeble state of the brain 
and nervous system, this reading cannot be exclu- 
sive in order to its being beneficial; the great 
original cause of all suffering ; and the hopes and 
consolations of religion to all those who will em- 
brace her invitations, will afford so many channels, 
through which the attention may be steadily 
awakened to its situation and responsibilities, to its 
present duties and coming prospects. 

Even through these natural approaches, the 
subject is to be introduced with delicacy, and at 

K K 



498 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

proper opportunities — not, indeed, with a criminal 
fear of grasping its momentous truths — not with a 
sheltering lenity of expression, which seeks to 
obscure truth ; but with the delicate tact which 
belongs to the well-instructed and well-educated : 
wanting these, the subject will fail of producing 
a good effect upon the mind, while the injury to 
the body may be irreparable, and is wholly un- 
warrantable. Nothing can exceed the extensive 
mischief which arises from injudicious mismanage- 
ment of these advantages, both to the patient and 
surrounding friends; but in proper hands these 
great topics may be so handled as to produce a 
good effect even upon the health ; and to neglect 
such opportunities, is as criminal on the one hand, 
as to destroy life on the other by ill-timed appeals 
to powerful feelings. The patient sometimes asks 
for the probable issue of his maladies — and in such 
instances, the best mode of reply is by a candid 
and honest summing up of the general probabili- 
ties of such states of disordered function, or organic 
disease, and of the individual peculiarities of the 
case in question ; and with all the hope which these 
peculiarities admit, drawing the final inference, 
that where relative uncertainty subsists, the only 
safe comduct is, to pursue the means to the pro- 
posed end—but to provide a place of refuge should 
that end not be obtained. This is, as we have before 
shown, the course of prudent men, with regard to 
the evils of life ; many persons even insure, against 
a time of sickness and old age, when they shall 
be no longer capable of exertion; and is it not 



OF BODY AND MIND 



499 



equally imperative, to be protected from moral 
evil, " by laying up treasures in heaven, where 
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt?" In this way, 
the end will be accomplished, while, if the patient 
be bluntly told, that there is no chance for him, 
(which no man of science or of truth would feel 
justified in saying,) the intended result would be 
defeated ; confidence in the medical attendant 
would be destroyed, and the opportunities of moral 
influence and suasion will be utterly lost ; oppor- 
tunities, which would have remained unbroken, 
and influence which would have continued avail- 
able for the moral good of the sick, had there been 
as much wisdom and prudence, as over-wrought 
zeal in the parties concerned. 

We cannot avoid just noticing here, the very 
different influence produced by the mind upon the 
body, according to the nature and connexions of 
the organ of that body, whose primary irritation 
has been the first cause of disturbance to the mani- 
festations of mind ; all, for instance, that is hopeful 
and cheerful in anticipation, in disease of the 
lungs ; all that is dark and gloomy in the same 
disease of the stomach and liver ; and so, also, with 
regard to many other of the injurious changes 
which first disturb the manifestations of mind, and 
then re-act upon the already tortured body. 

All violent emotion should be avoided ; and it is 
to be recollected, that violent emotion is not a ne- 
cessary characteristic of religious impression : while 
its continuance would rapidly exhaust, and perhaps 
in itself might be sufficient to destroy feeble life. 

k k 2 



500 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Religion has a power, elsewhere unknown, if judi- 
ciously employed, to gild the stormy clouds of the 
evening of life with the brightness of a glorious 
sunset — full of hope and of promise for to-morrow's 
dawn ; and it is upon these that the attention of 
the patient should be fixed. But while we thus 
speak of the consolations of religion, we do not 
intend that miserable abuse of the holy communion, 
which is too common, and too fatal in its influence, 
upon really serious thought. In itself, religion 
forms the only source of real peace, and hope, and 
rest, and joy, and confidence, and cheerful expec- 
tation, all of which tend to support the body, while 
they tranquillise the mind, and prepare it for its 
coming change, (if it be coming) of throwing off 
this mortal, and of being clothed with immortality. 
But deeply cruel, and awfully criminal is he, who. 
seeks to produce this peace, by an administration 
of the sacrament, and by inducing the sick to 
believe, that all the evils of a misspent life are to 
be obliterated by receiving the holy rite, at the 
eleventh hour, when there is nothing left to give 
to God but the last heavings of expiring nature. 
How awful the responsibility, even when this effect 
has been produced through inadvertence, or from 
a fancied want of time frequently to visit a distant 
patient, and thoroughly to investigate his case ! 
" Want of time " is generally the absence of in- 
clination ; for time may be created in some way or 
other, by introducing order and method into our 
arrangements, for every real call of duty. Deep 
and expansive be the stream of our charity in all 



OF BODY AND MIND. 501 

things towards others ; severe and impartial be the 
scrutiny of ourselves ; or we shall one day feel the 
pang of unmitigated remorse for the criminality we 
have incurred under this plausible excuse, from 
the neglect of a most important talent intrusted to 
our cultivation. 

Should any doubt the existence of this influence 
of the mind over the body, let him make the fol- 
lowing simple experiment; let him examine the 
muscles of his own arm, in a state of rest and 
relaxation, and he will find them soft, and, even in 
a state of health, almost flabby. But let him direct 
the energy of the will to these muscles, every fibre 
will be in action, and the arm will become tense 
and rigid ; let him call upon that arm for extraor- 
dinary exertion, and this tension and rigidity are 
still more marked. Painters and sculptors are well 
aware of this law, and whenever any mighty effort 
is to be portrayed, the muscles are as if strained 
to their utmost degree of tension. 

This law, which in its present illustration is phy- 
siological, was beautifully shown in a state of 
disease, in the case of Miss Fancourt, which a few 
years since powerfully excited the attention of the 
public in general, and of the author in particular, 
as being the alleged result of miraculous agency. 
And although for the present this question of 
modern miracles seems to have receded from public 
view, yet as the principles are always the same, 
and always applicable to every succeeding similar 
case, our time will not be lost by adding a few 



502 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

thoughts suggested at the moment by the considera- 
tion of its phenomenal 

" In doing so, I beg to state that I do not call in 
question the divine interposition; the only question 
is, whether the performance of the cure has been 
through the operation of natural means, employed 
with submission to the Divine will, and blessed by 
Almighty power ; or whether it has been wrought 
by the same power, without the intervention of 
adequate means, or by a process which is opposed 
to the ordinary course of nature. Now I firmly 
and conscientiously believe that the means of cure 
are obvious ; the effect of certain constitutional 
laws, and adequate to the end proposed. But even 
if w r e could not perceive that they were so, we should 
not be justified in drawing a sweeping inference, 
that the effect was a miracle. There are many of 
the wonders of nature which remain to us inscru- 
table, but we do not therefore pronounce them to 
be miraculous. We acknowledge the footsteps of 
infinite wisdom and love, which moves, where finite 
minds cannot perceive its traces ; and our hearts 
are raised in faith and dependence upon that all- 
wise, all-powerful, all gracious Governor, for a 
continuance of that government, and of those 
provisions, of which we humbly seek to avail our- 
selves, we know not why, but only because we 
have been taught, that the blessing of God has been 

* Since the above was written, a new miraculous pretender 
has appeared in the person of Dr. Clanny ; the following obser- 
vations are only the more called for. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 503 

promised to, and will attend upon, the performance 
of duty. 

" To illustrate this position with regard to the 
nervous system, on which has hinged the cure of 
Miss Fancourt, we know that without its influence 
it is impossible to move a limb ; only suspend its 
agency for a moment, by pressure upon a principal 
nerve, and the limb thus subjected to experiment 
is powerless and paralysed ; take away its influence 
from the stomach, and digestion is at an end; in- 
terfere with its regular supply to the lungs, or to 
the heart, and the circulation is embarrassed ; 
remove its unceasing distribution from the dia- 
phragm, and respiration is at an end, while irre- 
coverable death is the immediate consequence. 
Thus we see its effects ; we know its importance; 
we decide upon its agency ; and we are certain 
that its influence is transmitted through certain 
white cords ; but here our knowledge ends. In 
what way these perform their function, we are not 
acquainted ; much more are we ignorant as to 
what is this nervous influence; but we do not, 
therefore, infer, when we move a limb, when we 
walk, talk, taste, see, hear, smell, &c. &c, that 
all these actions are miraculous ; thev are most 
wonderful, it is true ; but they result from laws, 
which we know exist, though we know not the source 
of their operation. Thus in the present instance 
of cure, effected through the medium of the nervous 
system, we pretend not to trace every step of its 
progress ; but as natural means are adequate to 
the end, and as the system of God's government 



504 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

everywhere shows, a working through the agency 
of means ; we infer, that the same wonder-working 
agency has here also been displayed, but that no 
miracle has been performed. It is of no consequence 
to the argument, that the parties believed in the 
miraculous agency of these very means ; God often 
pleases to bestow his blessing upon means, without 
any intention on the part of the agents, so per- 
mitted or employed, of bringing about certain 
events or effects ; and the very fact of their non- 
acquaintance with the remedial power of these 
means, actually added to their influence. 

" This opinion requires to be supported by some 
observations with regard to the nature of miracles ; 
because it is well known that this forms a strong- 
hold of infidelity ; and that nothing could be more 
gratifying to the sceptic, than to have the boun- 
daries of miraculous agency so widened, as to em- 
brace within its pale the simple effects of natural 
phenomena; because if some miracles, or rather 
alleged miracles, can be shown to be dependent upon 
second causes, the infidel is greatly assisted in his 
denial of a Great First Cause ! 

" A miracle has been defined to be an effect or 
event, contrary to the established constitution, or 
nature of things ; or a sensible suspension or con- 
trolment of the known laws of nature, that is, of 
God's ordinary appointment. 

" In the cure of Miss Fancourt it has been 
shown, that the effect was not contrary to the es- 
tablished constitution or course of things, and that 
there was no suspension, or controlment, or deviation 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



505 



from the known laws of nature ; on the contrary, 
that the effect produced was dependent upon the 
physical laws of the constitution ; and that these 
laws, though commonly hidden from our sight, 
were awakened, in this instance, to the highest 
energy of action ; that action, however, being per- 
fectly natural, and ready to be called forth by any 
circumstance of high excitement. 

" But miracles have never been performed in cases 
where the ordinary physical laws would suffice to 
accomplish the cure, in the hands of our gracious, 
all-bountiful God. In such a case the event is 
natural, because it is in conformity with those laws 
the ordinary operations of which are commonly 
termed the usual course of nature ; meaning by the 
term nature, not an atheistical fatalism, but the 
all- wise system appointed by the Almighty for the 
regulation of the universe under his own infinite 
supervision and control. The event would be mi- 
raculous, if supernatural, if brought about by some 
superior controlling agency, by a power which is 
above the ordinary constitution of nature, and which, 
for the purpose of showing forth the divinity, 
changes the course of nature s laws so as to produce 
effects, without the intervention of ordinary means, 
or by means which are perfectly inadequate, or 
which have no relation to the end proposed. Yet 
it is not every event, brought about by circum- 
stances which we do not comprehend, that is mi- 
raculous ; for before we can decide upon a miracle, 
we ought to be acquainted with the natural and 
correlative circumstances under which it has taken 



506 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

place ; for if we know not the ordinary course of 
nature under given circumstances, we cannot justly 
say that there has been a suspension of, or devia- 
tion from, its laws. And since, in the above case, 
the ordinary laws of nature were adequate to the 
end produced ; and since these admirable resources 
were really called into active employment, although 
their existence was unknown to the parties so em- 
ploying them, we cannot hesitate to affirm, that the 
cure was not miraculous. 

" Miracles require a much stronger testimony 
than common facts ; and although we fully receive 
the facts themselves of the present case, yet on the 
question of miraculous agency, we require more 
testimony. We are then bound to inquire, whe- 
ther the witnesses possessed the opportunity of 
becoming acquainted with all the circumstances of 
the case, and their dependence upon, and relation 
to, certain natural phenomena ; and whether they 
were perfectly free from any bias which might 
conduce to warp their judgment. 

" Now in both these instances, the evidence is 
defective ; the parties were not acquainted with the 
extent and influence of laws which govern the 
function of volition ; and they also were under the 
influence of certain opinions, with regard to the 
performance of miracles in the present age of the 
Church, which could certainly give a leaning to- 
wards the easy belief of miraculous agency ; and, 
therefore, however undeniable their testimony as 
to the facts so far as they understood them, we 
hesitate as to receiving it, for that which requires 



OF BODY AND MIND. 507 

a much stronger testimony, viz. the existence of 
miracle, 

" To conclude, therefore, the present case appears 
to be deficient in some of the most important cha- 
racteristics of miracle : 

" a. It is true, that there was an important end to 
be accomplished, as far as the perfect restoration of 
the patient is implied in such terms. But the 
miracles of Moses, of our Lord, and of his divinely- 
commissioned ministers, appear to have had a 
further object, as to prove the divine authority of 
the prophet ; or of the message of mercy and of 
love which the latter promulgated. On the other 
hand, I should not be disposed to allow the evidence 
in favour of Popish miracles, wrought for the pur- 
pose of proving the Divine authority of the Popish 
superstition ; and, on the same principle, should 
not be disposed to admit the present miracle, in 
attestation of certain doctrinal views with regard 
to these latter days of the Church. In the former 
instance of our Saviour and his apostles, the doc- 
trines and the miracles are inseparable ; in the 
latter we can trace no connexion between them : 
and therefore we do not find that important ulti- 
mate good which has appeared to warrant, and 
even to require, miraculous interference with the 
laws of nature. I would speak cautiously; I would 
not deny the possible existence of such ultimate 
end, although it appears imperceptible. 

" b. It has been laid down as a criterion of 
miracles, that they be instaneously and publicly per- 



508 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

formed in the presence of witnesses. Certainly 
the present case was not publicly wrought; but 
the evidence as to the facts is abundantly sa- 
tisfactory, though I have before stated its in- 
sufficiency to decide the question of miraculous 
agency. 

" c. A miracle must be sensible, and easy to 
be observed in such way that the reality of the 
event may be readily ascertained, as well as that 
its origin was supernatural. Now the evidence in 
favour of the miraculous cure of Miss Fancourt 
is here defective, because it rests on the physio- 
logical laws of the nervous system, which are not 
generally known, which were not known to the 
parties, and, indeed, which are scarcely known at 
all ; and, therefore, not being acquainted with the 
regular order of nature, they could not ascertain 
what was the effect of one of her beautiful pro- 
visions excited to the highest pitch of intensity ; 
and what was a supernatural deviation from her 
course. 

" d. Lastly, a miracle must be independent of 
second causes, and must not be performed by the 
aid of their intervention. It is not enough, that 
the cause is hidden from our view, because then, the 
greater number of cures performed by medicine would 
be miraculous. We know that certain remedies 
will produce certain effects upon the constitution ; 
and in the cure of disease we reason upon these 
effects, and we exhibit medicine for the purpose 
of producing them. But in the vast majority of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 509 

such instances, we know not the mode of opera- 
tion of these medicines. Yet reason and experience 
teach us, that there is such a relation between cause 
and effect, that we may, in dependence upon pro- 
vidential blessing, securely calculate upon obtaining 
the latter, from exhibiting the former. Although, 
therefore, this process is hidden from our eyes, and 
oftentimes surrounded by impenetrable darkness, 
there is no idea of miraculous agency ; the effect 
is dependent upon second causes, under the blessing 
and government of the Great First Cause. And 
in the present instance, the effect was dependent 
upon a second cause, of sufficient magnitude to 
produce that effect, viz. upon the susceptibility of 
the nervous system, which enabled it, under the 
powerful agency of strong excitement, to give such 
increased energy to muscular fibres, as that their 
feeble actions received immediate strength and 
firmness, and continued afterwards to be strength- 
ened, to the patient's inexpressible comfort and 
joy, and to her own and her friends' overwhelm- 
ing gratitude. 

" May we all be more deeply and abidingly 
thankful for that power, and wisdom, and good- 
ness, and love, displayed in the formation and 
preservation of the body, this earthly house of our 
tabernacle, of which we know not one half its 
wonders ; of which they who know the most are 
often too unmindful ; and of which they who know 
the most, and feel the deepest, are the most feel- 
ingly convinced of their ignorance, and compa- 
rative imbecility; as well as of the uniformity, and 



510 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

universality of the Divine superintendence ; they 
feel themselves surrounded on every side by mys- 
teries which they are unable to fathom, and with 
deep and reverential awe exclaim, ' How won- 
derful are Thy ways; and Thy paths are past 
finding out.' " 



OF BODY AND MIND. 5 1 1 



CHAPTER X. 

ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE BODY, EXERTED OVER 
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF MIND. 

It only now remains, for the completion of our 
design, to consider a little the influence of bodily 
structure and function upon the manifestations of 
mind. 

We must here notice, in the first place, the great 
physical distinctions which have been called tem- 
peraments, and which have commonly been classi- 
fied as the sanguineous, the choleric, or bilious, 
the lymphatic, and the nervous. We shall speak 
of these individually ; but before we do so, we would 
state, that a pure example of any one of these 
temperaments is a rare phenomenon, so that in 
the description which follows, it is the exception to 
character, not character itself, which is described ; 
for in actual, individual life, it will be ascertained, 
that there is a mixture of these arbitrary distinc- 
tions, in very different proportions however, and 
always leaving a preponderance, which gives its 
tinge to the manifestations of mind, so that it may 



512 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

be said, one of these great distinctions of tempera- 
ment presides, however variable the combination, 
however different the proportion, and however cha- 
racteristic the peculiar influence upon bodily and 
mental manifestation. 

We shall now notice the physical characteristics 
of these several divisions of bodily peculiarity, viz. 
the sanguineous, the choleric, the nervous, and the 
lymphatic. 

a. The sanguineous temperament is strongly 
marked by a florid complexion, fair skin, blue eyes, 
light hair generally, and oftentimes red, an ani- 
mated countenance, bright red lips, an active and 
easily-excited circulation, muscular fibres, firm 
without rigidity, and elastic without feebleness. 

The disorders of such a constitution are usually 
characterised by high action, accompanied by a 
certain degree of power to support it : fever is 
easily lighted up ; and inflammatory action is in- 
duced with considerable violence, and sustained, 
too, with no slight degree of pertinacity. In fact, 
wherever arterial action is concerned, there will it 
be found to a very considerable extent ; and as it 
is accompanied with power, it will bear exhausting 
remedies better than any other of the peculiar con- 
stitutions to be described. There is more tendency 
to considerable disorder of function than to disease 
of structure ; and the conservative re-action of 
nature is very strongly marked in this tempera- 
ment. 

With regard to the mental manifestations, the 
same general law will be observable ; there will be 



OF BODY AND MIND. 513 

found to be much action, with proportioned power 
to support it; the impressions received by such a 
constitution will be of a lively character ; its intui- 
tive conception of the relation of things will be 
very easy : it will possess a good and faithful me- 
mory, a rich and lively imagination, great benevo- 
lence of disposition, a fondness for society, an equal 
desire to benefit others, and to be benefited by 
them ; and a very considerable degree of ardour in 
the pursuit of any object which has excited its in- 
terest and attention. 

On the other hand, it must be allowed, that it 
possesses evils arising from the same source. It is 
irascible, easily provoked, and given to high expres- 
sions of anger, — to thoughts, and words, and per- 
haps even deeds of violence, which a sober judg- 
ment would disapprove; the impressions of a graver 
cast are too transient, and there is a great disposi- 
tion to the volatile ; even the deep impressions of 
sorrow exhaust themselves in vehement expres- 
sions or passionate exclamations ; the bitterness of 
unmeasured and unhallowed grief, passes away 
with this expression ; and the April shower, how- 
ever violent, soon gives place to the calm and the 
sunshine of its own self-complacency ; it is very 
ardent in pursuit, but it is uncertain in its effort, 
and inconstant in perseverance ; that which has 
engaged the whole soul for a short time, passes 
away, and gives place to new, and because new, a 
more attractive source of interest : the same is to 
be observed in the relations of friendship; the 
vehement ardour of the day subsides into a coolness 

L L 



5J4 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and indifference, which is exceedingly painful, 
because the high action has exhausted itself, and 
requires the stimulus of a fresh object, in order to 
its being recruited. The same remark may be 
made of its hatred ; it is a transient passion — 
violent while it lasts, but soon passing away. 

The mental, or rather cerebral diseases, will take 
on the same form ; they too will be of a violent 
character, and mania, rather than melancholy or 
hypochondriasis, will give the prevailing tinge to 
its wanderings. There will be a certain degree of 
joyousness, of self-contentment, and self-esteem, 
about all its delirations ; a consciousness of dignity, 
an impatience of command, an assumption of 
superior knowledge, either delegated from the 
Deity, or perhaps emanating from Deity itself, 
which, with its frequent changefulness, will strongly 
characterise the peculiarities of this uncompounded 
temperament. Its influence on the expression of 
religious feeling will be hereafter considered. 

This, as well as every other peculiarity of tempe- 
rament, is constantly found in combination with 
those of a different caste, and these will be modified 
according to the greater or less amount of that in- 
fusion. 

b. But we notice, secondly, the bilious, or choleric 
temperament. Now, wherever this is the prevail- 
ing peculiarity, there will be found, a dark com- 
plexion—dark hair — dark eyes— penetrating look 
— a dry skin — strong muscular fibres, but not so 
elastic as in the former ; not disposed to, or capable 
of, the same amount of exertion ; yet perhaps en- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 515 

during longer a sustained effort, without giving 
way so readily, and without the same amount of 
constitutional suffering. 

A great deal of mental power, and the best lite- 
rary characters, will be found in this class ; because 
there belongs to it a greater degree of constancy 
and perseverance of pursuit ; and because the secret 
of success consists in persevering against present dif- 
ficulties, and only looking upon them as stimuli to 
call up the degree of energy necessary to overcome 
them. There is not here, the same easy conception 
of the relations of things, but there is a deeper 
acquaintance with their hidden connexions, a 
greater seeking-out of their intimate points of 
approximation, which, after all, constitutes the 
deepest knowledge of things as they are ; the 
memory may not be so quick and easy of applica- 
tion ; but it is ultimately more distinct and vivid, 
though exercised over a few objects : there is more 
attention to the society of books than of persons ; 
and the attractions of the library are greater than 
those of the drawing-room ; there may not be the 
same fervour of affection, but there is a greater 
degree of constancy in its exercise, and a greater 
amount of self-denial, in order to do good to its 
object ; there may not be the same vehement ex 
pressions of grief, but there is a deeper sorrow , 
there may not be the same social attractions about 
the person, but he is more to be relied upon in 
every situation of life, as the man of unshaken 
firmness, of unbending principle, of uncompromis- 
ing rectitude,— just in every feeling and action ; 

l l 2 



5J6 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

cautious, it is true, in forming his determinations, 
but not afterwards to be bought from his purpose 
by smiles, or swerved away from the line of recti- 
tude by all the frowns and obloquy which may be 
heaped upon him ; being, in the truest sense of the 
word, courageous, because he has the courage to stem 
the torrent of evil — to run counter to prevailing 
fashion — to yield up himself and all that he has, 
as a willing hostage to right, rather than be tempted 
to do what is wrong. It generally happens in 
public life, that the largest amount of eloquence, 
connected with a preponderating share of persever- 
ance and fortitude, is to be found in the choleric 
temperament. 

Yet this so happily-adjusted body has also its 
evils. It is peculiarly liable to what are called 
bilious headaches, which may perhaps sometimes be 
dependent upon the stomach, but which much more 
frequently arise from the head, while the stomach 
only sympathises, or suffers secondarily from its 
affection. It is not high arterial action, which is 
commonly to be met with in this temperament, but 
generally congestion — a sluggish action in the 
veins of the different organs of the body, and par- 
ticularly of the head. The constitution will not 
bear the same active remedies, as in the sanguineous 
temperament ; yet, if properly treated, can better 
sustain the repeated impulses of morbid tendency, 
and rise superior to them. It is more liable than 
the former to chronic disorder, inasmuch as venous 
congestion takes place slowly — at first, without 
exciting much notice or general disturbance ; and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



517 






thus the way is prepared for alteration of structure, 
or slow disorganisation, before almost that it is cog- 
nisable ; it is more liable to disorders of the diges- 
tive organs, and they persist, oftentimes, with a 
great degree of obstinacy. 

With regard to its morbid manifestations of mind, 
it must be allowed, that here also there are evils to 
be combated. It is true, that such a character is 
not easily given to change ; is not to be tossed about 
by every fashionable alteration of opinion, or by 
any change of personal association ; but then it is 
liable to prejudice; its conscientious belief may 
become bigotry ; its firmness, obstinacy ; its cau- 
tion, suspicion ; its reserve, a concentration into 
self, which may be very unamiable, and which may 
curtail its usefulness. So also, its courage may be- 
come temerity ; its perseverance, the foolhardy 
pursuit of objects which are unattainable, or which, 
if attainable, are only to be reached by an effort 
disproportioned to their value; the fondness for 
literary pursuit rather than society, is apt, too, to 
make a selfish character, and to take off the man 
from the duties of action to the pleasures of abstrac- 
tion ; from the realities of life, to the enjoyment of 
its own little world; that "kingdom," which has 
been poetically described, as fitted for the pre- 
sidence of mind. There is also, perhaps, too great 
a disposition to find fault with the world — to com- 
plain of its treatment — to be captious over its deal- 
ings — to take umbrage upon slight causes— to be sus- 
picious of evil, where no evil is intended — and to 
imagine that it is unjust, when, in reality, the 



518 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

difference of thought arises from a want of accord- 
ance in the differing physical temperaments, and 
from a want of unity in the separate views, and 
thoughts, and habits of action. 

In mental disease, this, which is perhaps the first 
germ of disorder, shows itself more strongly : thejoy- 
ousness of the self- conceited happy maniac, the pro- 
phet, the apostle, the Son of God himself, is not here 
to be met with : but the first striking: characteristic 
trait is the disposition to gloom — to look at the dark 
side of every thing — to be surrounded by accumulated 
ills — to be the sport of evil spirits and evil thoughts 
— to be abandoned of God — to become subject to 
voices, visions, dreams, &c. — to have incurred the 
wrath of Heaven — to be pursued by vengeance 
which cannot be escaped — to be followed by ene- 
mies, slanderers, murderers — to be weary of life — 
to bear it along as an intolerable burden — and, 
finally, to escape from its present evils, and the still 
greater evils of futurity, by recklessly and know- 
ingly, yet insanely, plunging into these greater 
evils, by a hopeless act of self-destruction. Yet 
such is the history — the melancholy history of the 
choleric patient, among whom are too frequently 
to be found the hypochondriacs, the monomaniacs, 
and the suicides of our day. 

Most remarkable is this tendency to suicide in 
the hypochondriac, and in the man who is such with 
a choleric temperament ; and we would state this? 
not as a support to the absurd doctrine so frequently 
held in our coroner's courts, where the absurdity 
almost universally prevails of finding the cause of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 519 

the patient's death, without one tittle of evidence, 
without even inquiring after it, and very generally 
with a refusal to inquire after it : when lately this 
absurdity was heightened, within the author's own 
knowledge, by the jury finding a verdict, not only 
without evidence as to the cause of death, but with- 
out one shadow of evidence as to the identity of the 
supposed party, touching whom the inquest was 
said to have been held. " what does it signify ?" 
said the foreman, " he will be identified to-mor- 
row." I repeat, that I do not state this in support 
of the absurd doctrine so frequently laid down, 
that a person who commits suicide must be insane, 
because no man in his senses would commit such 
an act. But I state the fact as a very remarkable 
one, that when the organ of mind is diseased, par- 
ticularly in a choleric temperament, the tendency 
is largely developed, to produce self-disorganisation of 
that very organ so disordered : and certainly this 
is a proof, if such were required, of insanity. This, 
however, is widely different from that state of things, 
in which he is brought to moral despair, by acts 
and conduct of his own, or when he has lived a life 
of opposition to every moral motive, and religious 
sanction, — a life of self-gratification, without refer- 
ence to social or relative obligation — alike forgetful 
of the laws of God and man, and when, with a 
worn-out constitution and a ruined fortune, he 
perceives nothing but misery in the world, and 
futurity is a blank — if not a hideous yawning of 
fearful and remorseless uncertainty ; or when a 
man has lived a life of thoughtless, selfish extra- 



520 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

vagance in the world, and has beggared himself 
and his family by his follies, and sees (too late to 
retrieve his fortunes) inevitable ruin before him ; or 
when, after a life of diligent prosperity in business, 
some hidden reverse of fortune places him in the 
hands of merciless creditors, and he has no higher 
moral or religious principle to fall back upon ; or 
when a young person has deviated from the paths 
of virtue, and " finds, too late, that men betray," 
and cannot bear up under the finger of scorn, and 
looks to the horror of the shame before man, rather 
than to repentance before God ; in all these cases, 
suicide is not insanity. Granted that it is false 
reasoning, because the proper doctrines and motives 
are not called into action ; but it is a wilful error; it 
is the false reasoning, of continuing alien from 
God, as all their life has been, and of finishing that 
life of forgetfulness, by an act of rebellious defiance 
against Him. 

c. But we pass on to notice the lymphatic tem- 
perament. The great characteristic of this peculiar 
style of constitution, (and unhappily it is not in- 
frequent,) is the prevalence of the white fluids, and 
the general feebleness of the system. It is com- 
monly marked by a pale and thick skin ; by great 
softness of the muscular fibre ; by thick lips, which 
give the appearance of the mouth being only half 
closed ; by soft hair, generally of a light flaxen hue ; 
by clear, soft, languid, blue eyes, — and by a 
feebleness of character, which extends throughout 
every department of the mechanism. This consti- 
tution is peculiarly liable to consumption, glan- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 521 

dular affections, atrophy, and all the varied forms in 
which scrofula proclaims its ravages and its power. 

Hence, in all the actions, and in all the disorders 
of the lymphatic temperament, great feebleness, and 
utter inability to support action, are the prominent 
features ; the system possesses very little conserva- 
tive energy ; and when once morbid action has 
commenced, there is little chance of arresting it ; it 
will generally proceed till it has involved the 
patient in more or less of misery. There would seem 
to be a kind of exemption from these laws, in some 
very brilliant children, who come out as prodigies 
of intellect : we hear of them as evincing mental 
talents of the first order, and presently we hear of 
them no more. And why is it? The organ, 
stretched beyond its elastic power, has given way ; 
and fatuity has been the consequence : or if the 
circulation of the brain, rather than the nervous 
structure itself, has been the seat of morbid action, 
the little creatures have fallen victims to hydro- 
cephalus ; so truly may it have been said, that 
" man cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down ;" 
his early life was full of promise, but the night of 
the grave, or the indistinct twilight of idiocy, has 
shrouded him for ever from our view ; we hope 
only to breathe a purer atmosphere, where there 
will be no danger of destroying the animal machi- 
nery by intellectual labour. 

But it may be said, that although this precocious 
talent may have been overdone by injudicious 
stimulation, yet that, under happier auspices, a 
different result would have been obtained ; and 



522 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

so, doubtless, it would to a certain extent, but not 
entirely ; the mischief has consisted, not simply 
in over-stimulation, but in the inherent feebleness 
of the nervous fibre, thus affording another eluci- 
dation of the principle, that action and power are 
by no means coincident properties, that they are 
seldom found together, and that the presence of 
the former is by no means a guarantee for the 
existence of the latter, but rather is an indication 
that it does not exist ; the deep waters of intellect 
are calm and undisturbed, but are capable of bear- 
ing on their bosom a large freight of mental wealth, 
while the shallow stream of noisy manifestation 
ends where it begins, in the bubble of powerless 
exhibition. This, therefore, does not form an ex- 
ception to the general law of feebleness, which 
pervades the lymphatic temperament, and under 
which it so frequently sinks to a premature grave. 

With regard to the mental manifestations of the 
lymphatic temperament, the same law will influ- 
ence their developement, viz. action without power 
to support it ; if called upon for much exertion, 
the mind will wear out itself and its habitation 
in a short time ; and thus, it is frequently said 
that the mind has worn out the body. If so, the 
following is the probable rationale. In the lym- 
phatic temperament, there is more action than 
power ; therefore too much nervous energy is ex- 
pended upon action ; enough cannot be spared 
for the functions of interior life, and principally 
for those of nutrition and sanguification ; the body 
is not nourished, red blood is produced in still 



OF BODY AND MIND. 523 

diminishing quantities ; the supply of nervous 
energy from its great emporium, is still further 
lessened, and its distribution still more curtailed ; 
more and more disorder is produced, and the 
weakest organ or the most oppressed gives way, 
and perhaps gives way irretrievably ; and very 
frequently it is the brain, the organ of mind, 
which is first distressed, and then destroyed. 

Still further, with regard to the passions and 
affections, action without power is again the cha- 
racteristic ; and, therefore, in all these relations, the 
flame of life is fast consumed ; the heart exhausts 
the head, and destroys the integrity of the system ; 
there is a certain vehemence of passion and affec- 
tion which cannot be sustained ; and is, therefore, 
not to be relied upon for continuance, where it 
is desirable to remain ; nor for its permanence, where 
it is desirable that it should cease ; as, for instance, 
in anger, which may be vehement, but will not 
be long continued, and the offended party will be 
easily soothed into forgiveness. This proceeds 
from two causes ; first, the inability of the lym- 
phatic temperament to maintain action under any 
circumstances ; and next, the impression of this 
law upon the nervous system in particular, the 
organ appointed for the manifestation of mind. 
In mental diseases there will be found a greater 
number of fools, epileptics, idiots, and of those who, 
not coming under either of these classes, may still 
be considered as helpless, feeble, with limited mani- 
festations of mind, and of those who are rather 
below than above mediocrity, as regards the average 



524 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of intellectual calibre, in the lymphatic than in any 
other temperament. 

d. But we notice, lastly, some of the peculiari- 
ties of the nervous temperament. The predomi- 
nance of the nervous system, to such an extent as 
to constitute this form of character, is to be found 
in union with each of the former states. Great 
susceptibility is the chief property of this condition ; 
only the mode of that susceptibility will receive a 
tinge from the greater or less prevalence of the 
three formerly described constitutions. In the ner- 
vous temperament the patient is generally thin ; 
for there is too great restlessness of action, too great 
mobility of system, to admit of the deposit of fatty 
matter; there is generally very little colour about 
the countenance, and perhaps this is accounted for, 
by the fact, that, although a rush of blood to that 
countenance is easily occasioned by nervous emo- 
tion, yet this is only momentary ; the blood rushes 
back to its citadel, and leaves the countenance 
deadly pale ; while the general tendency of ner- 
vous patients, is to accumulate blood about the 
heart, and therefore to deprive the surface of its 
colour. This, too, may be supported by the de- 
licacy of the muscular fibre of nervous tempera- 
ments ; and the muscular fibres of the heart, par- 
taking that delicacy, — the blood, if quickly, is not 
energetically sent round the system, because the 
heart wants contractile power. The features are 
generally animated ; but it is not the cheerful, 
equable animation of the sanguineous temperament; 
there is a fickle brilliancy about its light, as the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 525 

sun's rays are sometimes seen through an un- 
clouded but a vapoury atmosphere : there is a great 
degree of mobility and changefulness about the 
countenance ; its expression is most varied and in- 
telligent; but there is an air of languor, and even 
of occasional melancholy, about its expressiveness, 
which gives it a very distinctive mark ; and the 
changes of this expression are exceedingly rapid, 
so that the entire character is known by its sus- 
ceptibility to impression — by the non -continuance 
of one state — by the frequent change of emotion, 
and by the great mobility of the animal system, 
under the influence of such morbid change. 

After all, perhaps this great mobility of the 
system is more characteristic of the nervous tem- 
perament, for it is very uniformly and strongly 
marked both in health and disease. The influ- 
ence of emotion may be sudden, and may appear 
to be very deep ; but it is quickly superseded by 
the developement of any new emotion, this again 
to be easily displaced by the third succeeding 
wave. This is seen in a very remarkable manner, 
in disorders of the nervous system ; there is often- 
times no possibility of catching or detaining the 
symptoms ; but while one set of functions is dis- 
turbed, and we are considering the rationale of 
morbid action, in order to draw the curative in- 
dications ; even before our eyes, these symptoms 
have vanished, and another series of disordered 
actions has commenced in some other, and per- 
haps very distant part of the animal economy. 
This is remarkably shown in the protean forms of 



526 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

hysteria; the heart, the lungs, the muscles of re- 
spiration, the stomach, the bowels, the head, the 
muscles of organic life, those of locomotion, &c, 
are all interchangeably affected ; the patient laughs 
and cries vehemently almost in the same instant of 
time — the ideas are perverted — observations are 
made which are utterly alien to the healthy cha- 
racter, and are prompted by the nature of the 
organ, which happens to be at the moment the 
primary cause of irritation to the brain ; or, at all 
events, occupying the most prominent part in the 
disordered movements. 

The disturbance of the nervous system may pro- 
duce, simply, a variety of cramps or spasms, dis- 
orders of breathing, of digestion, and of various 
other functions, which may be disturbed, or alto- 
gether suspended ; but it may also in this form 
give rise to tic-douloureux, and the severe forms of 
nervous malady. 

Still further, there may be great disturbance of 
the nervous system at its centre ; and catalepsy, 
epilepsy, the appearance of ghosts, visions, reve- 
lations from God, communications from the evil 
one, and the various forms of insanity, are the 
consequence. Even here, amidst these deepening 
shades of malady, the liability to change, the great 
mobility of the system, and the consequent altera- 
tion of appearances, is very characteristic. The 
phases of to-day are not traceable to-morrow, and 
have given way to a third set of phenomena on 
the succeeding day. In fact, versatility is stamped 
upon all the movements of the nervous tempera- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 527 

ment, whether natural or disordered ; and this, 
together with great susceptibility to impression, 
and the rapid and powerful developement and 
manifestation of emotion, constitute its essential 
character. 

Now these several marked temperaments, and 
all the lesser differences which exist from the in- 
terlacing of their minor peculiarities, exert an in- 
fluence upon all the manifestations of healthy mind, 
and give the tinge to what is called character, 
which really means the assemblage of mental 
phenomena, variously grouped according to the 
greater or less prevalence of any one of those 
peculiarities ; how much greater, then, will be their 
influence, when the entire machinery is overturned 
by sickness— when every function is perverted, 
every organ irritated, and the balance of healthy 
mental manifestation is destroyed. 

One cannot wholly pass over the state of sleep, 
as a bodily condition which largely influences the 
manifestations of mind. When sleep approaches, 
it will first be found that attention flags ; the stu- 
dent is compelled to go over again the same ground 
in order to catch the idea of his author. In an 
instant more, the mind wanders ; broken, irregular, 
and disconnected images are presented, and unless 
superseded by some new impression, sleep imme- 
diately ensues. In this state, all the mental mani- 
festations are laid aside ; and, although the mind 
may go on working, its operations are not dis- 
cernible. It may be said, indeed, that mental 
operations go on in dreaming ; but a little attention 



528 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

will show, that dreams are not the result of mental 
operations, but rather of cerebral action, when, by 
some changed circumstances, it has escaped the 
control of the presiding mind. For if it be al- 
lowed, as it is on all hands, that mind, whatever it 
may be, is superior to body, it will follow, that 
mental operations, if conducted during a state 
when the body is not subservient to their influence, 
will not be impaired by this abstraction, but will 
be rather improved by it. And then, when the 
character of dreams is estimated ; when it is found 
that they are full of monstrous, and perverted, and 
impossible situations ; that they observe no order 
or method, in the concentration of circumstances ; 
that they are full of anachronisms ; that time 
and space are annihilated ; that the actions of 
years are grouped into a few seconds ; that they 
abound in images of the most incongruous and 
absurd description ; that they do not represent the 
character, but are often diametrically opposed to 
it ; that the nonsense they contain, would be a 
disgrace to the most starveling intellect ; when all 
these things are considered, it cannot but be al- 
lowed, that dreaming is not a mental operation, 
that it is a bodily agency, the action of brain when 
dissociated from the presiding mind by the influ- 
ence of sleep ; a purely bodily condition in which 
are suspended all the functions but those which are 
necessary to the continuance of life ; thus exhibit- 
ing one of the modes of influence of the body over 
the manifestations of mind. The actions indis- 
pensable to the sustentation of life are continued, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 529 

but those required for the manifestation of mind are 
laid at rest. 

There are few persons who have observed at all, 
who have not observed the changes which take 
place, in the course of time, in their opinions — in 
their modes and habits of thought and action— in 
the relative importance which they assign to dif- 
ferent objects — in their estimate of human action 
and passion — and in the amount of interest which 
is claimed by the various circumstances and situa- 
tions of life. So much is this the case, that it is 
a common though an erroneous observation, that 
man gets an entire change of himself, once in 
seven years. Commonly-received errors have ge- 
nerally some foundation in truth, and this is one 
of such errors ; it is an error to assert that this 
change happens at any determinate period ; for 
the process is a gradual one, and is constantly, 
though slowly, going on ; but it is true that it is 
going on, though so slowly, that the change is 
only perceptible by instituting a comparison be- 
tween two somewhat distant periods of life. Again, 
it has been said, that adult life may be divided 
into three ages — that of love, ambition, and 
avarice ; and in this there is a great deal of truth : 
we only require these truths in the present instance, 
in order to show the general belief in this doctrine 
of change in the manifestations of mind. And 
this change occurs chiefly in the manifesting organ ; 
and is a proof of the influence of body upon mental 
agency. 

At first, in very early life the brain is incapable 

M M 



530 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of more than a very little intellectual effort ; and 
having few instincts, the offspring of man is pe- 
culiarly feeble and helpless ; and with all his high 
future destiny, and with all his larger brain, and 
all his capacities, he possesses fewer manifestations 
of mind, than the young of the inferior animals ; a 
fact which is inexplicable, except by supposing 
that the brain is prepared for the service of a super- 
added principle — a spiritual and immortal prin- 
ciple. At this early period, even the reports of 
the senses are not to be relied upon, except as the 
report of one is corrected or confirmed by that of 
others — a plain proof that the mind does not reside 
in the senses, and that, although our ideas are 
obtained through this medium, it is only by asso- 
ciation and comparison that they will become data 
for future thought or action, emotion or passion. 
The senses, then, must be educated, or instructed ; 
that is, their nerves must be taught to review and 
to adjust the corrected impressions. But the nerves 
are mere carriers to the brain, and an extension 
of its range of power ; so that if the nerves require 
to be instructed, so must the brain, in which they 
terminate. And, therefore, the peculiarities of the 
bodily structure will exercise their power over their 
primary impressions or movements as well as on 
their secondary affinities and associations, and their 
intellectual or affective results. The influence of 
the body over the mind in its early developement, 
its maturity, decay, and decrepitude, will be con- 
siderable ; at first, partaking of all the elasticity^, 
the lightness, the gaiety of youth ; then exhibiting 



OF BODY AND MIND. 531 

the firmness, and the strength, and action of early 
manhood ; again retaining its firmness, but losing 
its elasticity and buoyancy ; and then beginning 
to show symptoms of the decay, which is even- 
tually to terminate in that decrepitude, when the 
grasshopper shall be a burden. We have already 
spoken of the exception to this general law, where 
it does exist ; it is enough, therefore, for our 
present purpose, that through all the several stages 
of existence, the body exerts a considerable influ- 
ence over the manifestations of mind, even in its 
healthiest condition ; and it need not be said, how 
much more this is the case, if the body be dis- 
ordered, and the phenomena of sudden ailment be 
superadded to this constant natural influence. 
Then the actions of brain and the manifestations 
of mind are overturned ; so that perhaps an entire, 
at all events a great, perversion of thought or 
feeling, of action or passion, occurs ; that state which 
we have mentioned as belonging to approaching 
sleep, is first discovered — brain acting independ- 
ently of mind, only that the images are perverted, 
and become liable to all kinds of morbid manifes- 
tation. 

Not only does the peculiar temperament mani- 
fest and display its characteristic traits ; but all 
the mental manifestations are influenced by phy- 
sical causes. Thus the intellectual faculties will be 
found to predominate in one, and in another the 
affective ; memory will be quick and evanescent in 
one, slow and retentive in another, quick and yet 
abiding in a third ; the attention will be easily 

m m 2 



532 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

directed, or impossible to command ; association 
will be brilliant and correct — brilliant and fanciful, 
— or slow and yet most erroneous in different in- 
dividuals, because founded on imaginary points of 
resemblance which have no existence in truth; 
and in a fourth person it may be slow yet sound, 
where it has been worked out with great labour 
and anxiety ; and all these varieties may be pre- 
dicated by an observer, who has at once the intuitive 
power of discovering the secret springs of action, 
and of knowing what will be the natural conse- 
quence of any given combination of tendencies, 
which arise out of physical temperament. 

This influence of body upon mind, though con- 
fessedly great, has been sometimes represented as 
greater than it really is. Thus it has been said, 
that the mind is in the hand, and that there it 
originates the motions which attach to that organ. 
But this is untrue ; take for example the familiar 
instance of the hand as the organ of prehension, 
and let its object be to take up an orange from the 
table : there is no origination of the mental desire 
for the orange in the hand ; on the contrary, the 
eye is first directed towards it ; the impression of 
the existence of the orange is made upon the optic 
nerve, and conveyed to the brain ; the idea of an 
orange is thus conceived in the mind, and by asso- 
ciation with previous impressions received through 
the sense of taste, a knowledge of its properties is 
awakened ; the desire after its possession is kindled, 
and unless there be some opposing moral motive, 
(as that of the orange not being ours by right,) 



OF BODY AND MIND. 533 

the emotion of desire for its possession, is followed 
by a mandatory notice sent down to the hand to 
take it ; and then, in obedience to, and under the 
immediate influence of, presiding mind, the hand 
does take it ; there being no mind in the hand, but 
that hand being acted upon by the brain as the 
organ of mind through the nerves which supply 
it with the power of voluntary motion. 

Too great a degree of mechanical agency has 
been ascribed to mind ; as, for instance, it has been 
said, that for want of due caution, the mind actually 
breaks up or rends its own animal machinery in 
the same way as bones or muscles have been occa- 
sionally broken or ruptured by intense muscular 
action. But this is not true, in the first place ; 
for the symptoms of sensorial torpor, which arise 
as a consequence of cerebral over-action, are not 
those which are produced by the lesion of nervous 
fibre ; the latter is followed by distinct paralysis, 
while the former does not produce any such symp- 
toms, although they may occasionally be found 
co-existent. In fact, the brain is not an organ, 
of which we can speak mechanically at all ; and if 
we do so, it must be merely an account of the 
poverty of language, not possessing words to ex- 
press our ideas, and therefore employing those 
which are only weakly, because analogically, ap- 
plicable, in order to express things of which we 
know not the ultimate rationale. Thus we are 
unacquainted with the precise character of nervous 
fibre, and cannot, therefore, tell how far it may be 
capable of extension, elasticity, motion, and other 



534 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

properties of matter ; and, therefore, it is unwise to 
talk of rending a machinery, of which we know not 
even that the term machine is at all applicable to 
its nature. And then arises the fact, that the 
symptoms of overdone brain are not those of me- 
chanical injury. 

It is difficult, nay, impossible, to say, a priori, 
what the brain can bear ; since one brain can 
sustain a degree of effort and continued exertion 
without injury, under which another sinks; and 
like every other organ and function of the animal 
economy, it is capable of having its power of action 
immensely increased by exercise ; an effort which 
it can barely sustain now, will, after a little while, 
be supported without consciousness of its being an 
effort ; and so power and action will go on increas- 
ing, and mutually creating each other up to a 
certain point ; and it is not until exercise is fol- 
lowed by exhaustion, that it begins to partake a 
morbid character. Even then, it is not the organ 
itself which first suffers, but some other organ or 
function of the body, the stomach, the heart, &c, 
digestion, assimilation, sanguification, and so forth ; 
it is then that the brain gets a deficient or dete- 
riorated supply of less-perfectly animalized blood, 
than it should do; itself becomes uneasy, restless, 
irritable ; the sleep is disturbed or oppressed, 
generally the former, and the brain is not suffi- 
ciently recruited for the daily purposes of life. 
Nevertheless, these functions are carried on; and 
therefore, every day its capital of strength is di- 
minished ; it has less and less power of action ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 535 

one or another of its actions fail, and generally vo- 
lition, because this requires the most active state 
of obedience to the presiding mind ; and now, 
morbid action has actually commenced, and unless 
timely arrested, it will go on till the organ ceases 
to be capable of intellectual employment, or it will 
approach the confines of idiocy ; or insanity and 
perverted manifestations will follow ; or it will 
become torpid, and incapable of its usual functions, 
rarely, indeed, but perhaps occasionally, being 
subject to apoplexy or palsy. But these are rare, 
and even where they do exist, cannot be ascribed 
to the mechanical agency of mind, tearing up and 
destroying its own machinery. It is not, therefore, 
just so to speak ; and it is very necessary to make 
accurate distinctions in a matter which is so much 
the subject of dispute. 

The contrary has, however, been supported by 
an argument drawn from the muscular power fre- 
quently exhibited, during the paroxysms of de- 
lirium, mania, hysteria, epilepsy, and other ana- 
logous conditions ; and these muscular movements 
have been ascribed to the inherent mechanical force 
of mind. But this is not true, because, 

First, no effort of mind, however great, produced 
under circumstances of unwonted excitement — say 
under an impression of the fear of death, and the 
only mode of escape being by some extraordinary 
effort, — ever did, or ever could give rise to muscular 
actions of such vehemence as those to which we 
have alluded; therefore no mind, by the highest 
effort of the will, stimulated to the utmost by the 



536 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

greatest possible excitement, can produce equiva- 
lent movements : 

Secondly, the movements in question are inde- 
pendent of mind ; for if dependent upon mind, 
they must have an object ! Now, however much 
it has been asserted, and justly too, that mental 
emotion will occasion these paroxysms indirectly, 
yet it never has been propounded by the most 
hardy controversialist, that the muscular efforts of 
delirium, mania, hysteria, and epilepsy, are always 
with design ; they may be sometimes, as when the 
maniac struggles to release himself from confine- 
ment, — but they are generally automatic, having no 
particular design, and therefore independent of 
mind ; for in order to their being mental, there 
must be a motive, and if a motive, some end pro- 
posed to be accomplished ; and, 

Thirdly, while no effort of mind could produce 
these movements, and while they are 'produced inde- 
pendent of mind, they are really and in effect, occa- 
sioned by irritation of the nervous fibre; this, per- 
haps, being sometimes produced by the disorder of 
some organ at a distance ; and at others, by an 
affection of the brain itself, that brain always 
having, in each case, too great a predisposition to 
easy disturbance. It is clear, that hysteria and 
epilepsy may be feigned ; and thus it would seem 
as if they might be produced by mind ; but the 
genuine is easily distinguished from the spurious 
paroxysm ; and the fact of this failure of the 
assumed state, is really a proof of the doctrine we 
have advanced. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 537 

But if these disordered movements of the muscles 
are sometimes the consequence of sympathetic irri- 
tation, in some of the organs or functions of inte- 
rior or organic life ; it follows, that the nerves 
which supply these viscera, are in communication 
with the brain ; that their irritation, though not 
sensibly felt in their extremities, is impressed upon 
the sentient organ ; and that this irritation is com- 
municated to the voluntary muscles, in a way to 
us inexplicable, if we are required to trace the links 
of causation, but which, notwithstanding, suffi- 
ciently demonstrates the presiding influence of one 
grand principle over the whole, so that no one part 
can suffer, without producing various sympathetic 
sufferings. 

It may be well to mention here, an instance of 
nervous pain produced by this irritation ; take 
tooth-ache for example ; the pain shall begin in a 
tooth — shall be cognizably dependent upon a tooth 
— shall be cured by the removal of a tooth ; and 
yet, after it has lasted a certain length of time, 
where is the pain felt ? Not in the tooth, but at 
the angle of the jaw — the side of the ear — the an- 
terior part of the ear particularly — the temple — the 
side of the head— even behind the ear, — in fact, 
successively in every twig of facial nervous distri- 
bution : and the sufferer, holding his breath in order 
to relieve the pain, is another wonderful proof of this 
distant association of nervous influence, in conse- 
quence of the immediate connexion of these nerves 
with the function of respiration. 

The law of the nervous system, through which, 



538 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

pain produced by the irritation of the extremities 
of nerves, is felt not in these particular fibres, but 
at the origin of their branches, or in some other 
distinctly-connected twigs, is never to be forgotten ; 
because it may serve to account for many seeming 
anomalies, and will at all events silence an anta- 
gonist, who seeks to get rid of some of the pheno- 
mena of nervous influence, by saying, that the brain 
is not conscious of irritations which take place in 
the extremities of nerves, especially those of organic 
life : and thus seeking to dissociate the one from 
the other, which nature has linked together in a 
compact indissoluble, except with life. 

And as if Nature had not taken a sufficiency of 
care under ordinary circumstances, to keep up this 
uniformity of action and passion, and to preserve 
every part of the system in one harmonious whole, 
she has specially provided for this purpose, one 
nerve — the great sympathetic — in order to sustain 
this inter-communication between every part of the 
animal economy ; a messenger of good offices from 
the one to the other, giving notice of all the changes 
in its several departments, and accomplishing the 
great purpose of preserving every part of this com- 
plicated machinery in one whole ; thus proving, that 
Nature has taken the greatest possible pains to 
preserve life, and making it wonderful, not that life 
lasts so long as it does, but that it terminates so 
soon. 

The important agency of the great sympathetic, 
affords an illustration of the fact, that the value of 
the function of a nerve does not depend upon its 



OF BODY AND MIND. 539 

size : for although it is termed the great sympathetic, 
on account of its important office, and the magni- 
tude of its connexions, it is in point of fact very 
small— perhaps the very smallest of the body, con- 
sidering the length of its course, its multiplied 
offices, the number of organs to which it gives 
twigs, its connexion with the ganglionic system, 
and the complete dependence upon it for the har- 
monies of life, — the master-key, which serves to 
unlock all the rest. The importance of this fact is 
still further illustrated by the phrenic nerve— very 
minute, yet long in its course — and given off early, 
as if to maintain the easiest possible connexion with 
the brain, and so distributed to the diaphragm, 
and connected with the function of respiration, 
that any pressure upon it puts an end instan- 
taneously to that function, and produces imme- 
diate death. 

We notice however next, that changes in the in- 
ternal condition of the viscera, operate powerfully 
in modifying the nature of our mental manifesta- 
tions. Now, this is really a fact, which is almost 
universally admitted, though perhaps little thought 
is given to the rationale of the process by which it 
is effected. Man is very fond of excusing his own 
delinquencies, — his ill-temper, his moodiness, his 
irritability, his absurd sensitiveness, his moroseness, 
his captiousness, and all the thousand forms of home 
disagreeables, and placing them to the score of his 
stomach, his liver, his digestion, his bile, &c. &c, 
though he will be seldom found to make these ex- 
cuses for the same failings in others ; and the little 



540 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

underlined monosyllable just noted, requires some 
more especial attention, since it is at home that the 
peculiarities are seen, and these excuses made. 
Abroad, man is all smiles, and kindness, and bene- 
volence ; and, generally speaking, interior life does 
not disturb his apparent good-humour. Now this is 
not, that the same influence is not continued and 
exerted ; but that the will is called in to resist its 
agency. If so, the will may be, and ought to be, 
exerted at home as well as abroad : and if under 
given circumstances the mind shows itself capable 
of being superior to the tyranny of these organic 
suggestions, it is bound to be so at all times ; it is 
bound to call in its own master principles to super- 
sede these morbid tendencies, and to be at home 
what he is abroad. Nothing can get rid of his re- 
sponsibility ; and as it has been before stated, so it 
is now re-asserted, that presiding mind is the 
supreme governor ; and that the brain and nervous 
system are the servants of that principle ; and so 
long as man remains in a state of society, he must 
maintain this supremacy. 

This by no means supersedes the fact, that irrita- 
tions of the ganglionic viscera do modify our sen- 
sations greatly ; do exert an influence upon the 
manifestations of mind ; and do tend very much to 
pervert them. Every one is sensible of this : during 
the process of digestion, if healthy, there is an 
inaptitude for cerebral occupation ; and if un- 
healthy, a variety of uneasy phenomena are pro- 
duced, so as in aggravated instances to occasion 
great perversion of action, as in the visions of the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 541 

celebrated Nicolai, and the daily sensations of less 
celebrated personages. We are all sensible how 
different is our impression of the same circum- 
stances, events, and things, under different states of 
organic irritation, insomuch that we can scarcely 
believe them to be the same. This state is generally 
accompanied by uneasy slumbers, by dreams, 
nightmare, &c, all of which indicate irritation of 
some portion of the cerebral fibre, to such an extent, 
that when dissociated during sleep from the imme- 
diate influence of presiding mind, they fall at 
once into perverted action. And this is that minor 
state of irritation, which, in a more aggravated form, 
dissociates the brain from its governing principle, 
and produces insanity, which is only a darker cloud 
of that early cerebral irritation, which is exhibited 
in disordered temper, or captious feeling. Insanity 
we believe to be, very generally, a primary affec- 
tion of the brain ; but it has been shown in some 
instances to be secondary, and to be the result of 
accumulated irritations, which commence in organic 
life, and which at first merely sour the temper. 
Hence, the importance of arresting those lesser 
irritations, by calling in the aid of good prin- 
ciple to extinguish and supersede them in their 
very earliest stage, while yet they do not pos- 
sess the power and combination of rebellious sub- 
jects. 

It may be asked, perhaps, why the nerves of 
organic life have been thus made to communicate 
with the brain, when their agency seems only pro- 
ductive of disturbance. The truth is, we only see 



542 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the occasional disturbing agency, and do not per- 
ceive the constant harmonizing influence. The 
reason of this communication is, however, obvious ; 
it is conservative, in order that the mind should be- 
come acquainted with the wants of interior life, and 
should minister to all its great functions. If this 
were not the case, man, with his few and feeble in- 
stincts, would be helpless indeed ; and it is in 
consequence of his high position in the animal cre- 
ation — of his accountability — and of his being here 
in a probationary state, that this connexion proves 
a source of trial to him, and an occasion for drawing 
out his principles, and throwing him upon himself, 
and his spiritual resources. 

This, again, leads to the consideration of the vis 
medicatrix. A great deal has been said and written, 
and absurdly too, on this inherent power of nature, 
by which she seeks to repair injuries which have 
been effected, or to prevent others from being pro- 
duced by certain changes which have taken place 
in the system. The absurdity has arisen from sup- 
posing the existence of a kind of archseus, or pre- 
siding spirit, which watched over the laws, — aided 
the intentions, — gave notice of the infraction of 
these laws, and sought to repair the mischiefs thus 
occasioned in the animal economy. The absurdity 
consisted not in the facts which were adduced, but 
in investing one of nature's laws with a personality, 
and making that an entity, which is the mere deve- 
lopement of a principle. But the principle exists, 
and that principle, perhaps, shows forth the wisdom, 
and the power, and the goodness of the Creator, 



OF BODY AND MIND. 543 

more conspicuously than almost any of the other 
wonders of creation. This is seen in a thousand 
instances, but we must only mention two or three 
illustrations. 

We will take the familiar arrangement by 
which food is prevented entering the air pas- 
sages. It is manifest to reason, how erroneous this 
must be ; and it is known from experience, that the 
effect would very generally be fatal. Therefore 
Nature has provided a valve, which in the act of 
swallowing covers over the glottis, and effectually 
prevents any food from entering the trachea. This, 
then, is Nature's conservative arrangement; but 
suppose that, contrary to her intentions, the indivi- 
dual breathes while in the act of swallowing, such 
breathing lifts the epiglottis; the closure of the 
glottis is no longer complete ; some minute portion 
of food enters that aperture, or perhaps only rests 
upon its edge ; a morbid condition has been pro- 
duced : but Nature's conservative power is again 
called in to repair the mischief, and as everybody 
knows, violent cough is produced for the purpose 
of expelling the intruding molecule, nor is peace 
re-established till such expulsion has been effected. 
An attentive observer will also discover how imme- 
diately a secretion of mucus takes placed from the 
inner lining of the trachea, to assist in dislodging 
the foreign body. 

The act of sneezing may be mentioned as another 
conservative effort, intended to remove from the first 
air-passages any substance which might prove irrita- 
ting or deleterious to them. Coughing should, and al- 



544 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

ways would be (if the patient were careful and watch- 
ful) only another instance of the conservative power of 
Nature ; it should be only for the purpose of bring- 
ing up from the chest or windpipe, that which was 
oppressing and impeding its functions. Hunger, 
thirst, and other instinctive properties, are only 
illustrations of this conservative power, and tend to 
keep the body from injury. The same effect is seen 
as a consequence of any accidental hesion, as in the 
event of a wound, a fracture, or dislocation : in the 
former, the first effort is to unite the divided parts 
by an adhesive process, and at once to restore them 
to continuity ; and where this cannot be effected, 
to accomplish the same object by the formation of 
granulations, and then tiling over these with fresh 
skin from the edges of the divided surface. In the 
case of fracture, a soft medium of re-union is first 
poured out — in this, bony matter is deposited, and 
the limb is stronger than ever. In dislocation, the 
muscles will pull back the bone into its place, if 
they can, or if assisted by favouring circumstances, 
the object of the surgeon; and if they cannot effect 
this restoration, Nature will form a new socket for 
the joint, and do her very utmost to repair the mis- 
chief. And in the event of the death of a bone, 
she is ever fertile in her resources, and pours out 
such a quantity of new living bone around the 
dead portion, as to preserve the continuity and 
strength of the limb, while she is effecting the ex- 
pulsion of the old dead bone. 

We might indefinitely prolong this series of in- 
stances, but we shall only give one more illustra- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 545 

tion ; and that respects the different habits of 
serous and mucous membranes. The habit of the 
former is, under circumstances of irritation, to pour 
out coagulating lymph, which becomes organised, 
and glues together the contiguous surfaces ; while 
the habit of the latter is to pour out a secretion of 
mucus, which does not become organised, but is 
removed. Now the effect of this law is visible, for 
instance, in the external and internal covering of 
the bowel ; the former is a serous, the latter a 
mucous membrane ; and according to the present 
arrangement, all goes on well ; but supposing these 
habits to be changed — the mucous membrane 
pouring out coagulating lymph, and glueing to- 
gether the two sides of the cylinder of the bowel, 
what follows but irrecoverable obstruction and 
death ; or, on the other side, a large quantity of 
mucus, or even purulent matter is poured out in 
the cavity of the abdomen, and death equally 
ensues. Try the same exchange of function in 
the chest ; the external covering of the lungs is a 
serous, the bronchial, or internal covering is a 
mucous membrane. Now. all is well, and under 
inflammatory action there is a good chance of 
recovery ; but reverse the fact, and the cells of the 
lungs, the air-cells, are largely glued together ; or 
a sudden muco-puriform effusion takes place into 
the cavity of the chest, and death equally follows 
in both cases. The same observation may be made 
of the brain, and other very important organs. 

But suppose, under circumstances of inflamma- 
tion, that suppuration becomes inevitable, still we 

N N 



546 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

see beautifully exemplified, the conservative power 
of nature ; for aware how destructive must be the 
diffusion of pus among the cells of the cellular 
membrane, constituting, in fact, one of the most 
formidable cases of morbid action, what is her 
object? Why, before the formation of purulent 
matter, she pours out a considerable quantity of 
coagulating lymph — glues together a certain number 
of cells — forms a wall all around the abscess, and 
then, when it must break, always takes care that it 
should break upon the surface, and not in the in- 
terior ; at least, the deviations from this process 
are only exceptions to the general rule. 

From all these illustrations it will be seen, that 
there is no Archseus, watching over, and directing 
Nature's operations ; nay, more, that the presiding 
mind has nothing to do with this agency ; that it 
is purely physical — one of the primordial laws for 
preserving existence, everywhere visible in the 
animal economy, adapted by Infinite Wisdom to 
the variety of structure and formation — to the uses 
and abuses of the several organs of the body. This 
law, as it affects the manifestations of mind, is also 
to be traced ; and Nature's sweet restorer, sleep, is 
a beautiful illustration of the care which she has 
taken of the organ of mind. The brain may be- 
come jaded ; it is relieved by change of employ- 
ment ; but it may be worn out ; its energies may 
be exhausted beyond the power of change to re- 
novate ; and then comes sleep, only a very small 
portion of which is necessary to give renewed activity 
to the organ. And this state, too, becomes irre- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 547 

sistible; its claims will be heard; and the indi- 
vidual goes to sleep, standing, walking, talking, &c, 
unless a state of morbid irritability and vigilance 
has been induced, which is sometimes the case. 
But then disorder has commenced ; and all the 
frightful progeny of perverted mental manifestation 
may be brooded over with fostering wing, and 
nurtured into life and activity ; unless, by the judi- 
cious employment of mental and bodily means, the 
irritated brain shall be appeased, and quiet sleep 
shall be procured. 

There is a state arising from over-goaded brain, 
which may be called torpor, and which produces 
an effect the reverse of irritability. In the one 
case, there is a busy and restless desire after action ; 
in the other rest, absolute rest, seems to be the 
great good of existence ; in the one case, the mind 
is wandering after fresh objects of excitement ; in 
the other, nothing annoys it so much as to be 
aroused into action at all. The effect is a dif- 
ferent one ; but the same result of perverted mental 
manifestation, tinged by the state of the mani- 
festing organ, will be induced. 

A very few words must be given on the subject 
of the influence of atmospherical changes. That 
this influence is very considerable, is well known ; 
but the mode in which it operates is often ob- 
scure. It may, however, be directly through the 
influence of certain conditions of the air upon the 
nervous system itself; or indirectly, through the 
influence excited upon the circulating system ; or 
the digestive function ; or still further by containing 

N N 2 



548 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

certain noxious properties which operate unseen, and 
which, without occasioning positive disease, do 
nevertheless interfere with the healthful actions of 
the economy. 

There are some properties of the atmosphere 
which appear to act directly upon the nervous 
system ; as, for instance, in the east wind an influ- 
ence is produced, which is not to be accounted for 
wholly by its dryness. It is confessedly a drying 
wind ; and we cannot breathe in comfort an at- 
mosphere which does not possess a certain degree 
of moisture : but there are few persons who have 
not experienced a nameless malaise, on the imme- 
diate setting in of an east wind ; a dulness, a 
gloom, a tedium, a discomfort, an inaptitude for 
cerebral exertion ; while, on the contrary, after the 
blowing of the south-west wind, all these clouds 
have been dissipated — life has been enjoyed — a 
certain degree of elasticity has rendered all the 
ideas buoyant and cheerful — and difficulties have 
been met and vanquished, under which the mind 
would otherwise have been borne down ; and efforts 
have been made, which could not previously have 
been sustained ; thought has been easy — labour an 
enjoyment — and success has attended every literary 
effort : and all this has been irrespective of the 
amount of atmospherical dryness or humidity — 
supposing them to have been the same in both 
cases, and in spite of the increased pressure on the 
one hand, and the diminished pressure on the other, 
which always, or almost always, attend inter- 
changeably the east and the south-west winds. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 549 

Here, then, is an example of atmospherical influ- 
ence upon the nervous system. The author has 
known persons of highly sensitive nerves, in whom 
these atmospherical vicissitudes would operate a 
change in the feelings several times in the day, 
and who could often predict changes from their 
bodily sensations which were not otherwise cog- 
nisable. 

The increased or diminished pressure of the 
atmosphere will likewise operate upon the cir- 
culating system ; and so, indirectly as well as di- 
rectly, upon the brain. The venous circulation 
of the body is mainly dependent upon the pressure 
of the atmosphere for its continuance and well- 
being ; and a certain amount of pressure is neces- 
sary to ordinary comfort ; if that pressure be too 
great, the blood may be returned too quickly to 
the heart, and that organ may be oppressed, by 
the increased demand upon its exertions; and if 
the pressure be diminished, the venous circulation 
will become sluggish ; congestion will occur in the 
larger veins ; and the right side of the heart will 
be rendered uneasy — unable fully to disburthen 
itself of its load ; the same effect takes place in 
the venous sinuses of the brain ; the latter organ 
is supplied with a less highly vitalized blood than 
it requires ; and languor, and feebleness, and dis- 
order are introduced into its functions ; besides 
also, that the brain itself seems to require a certain 
degree of pressure in order to carry on its intellec- 
tual functions with ease. This is more fully ex- 
emplified by the effect of a highly rarified at- 



550 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

mosphere upon the circulation — the consequent 
bursting of the blood-vessels, and the disorder 
introduced into the cerebral functions. Though 
these are not felt under ordinary circumstances, 
in the same way as at the summit of Mont Blanc, 
still they are felt, and produce similar influences, 
though less in degree. 

The dampness or dryness of the atmosphere will 
operate peculiarly upon the mucous membranes 
of the body, as the skin, the lungs, the throat, 
the stomach, the bowels. In either case, great 
discomfort is produced ; if there be too great dry- 
ness, the skin is parched — respiration is uneasy-— 
— digestion is difficult — the bowels are constipated ; 
and, on the contrary, if there be an excess of mois- 
ture, the skin is relaxed — the lungs are oppressed 
— digestion is imperfectly performed — the bowels 
are worried — and the general system feels feeble 
and languid ; and through this channel, the cir- 
culation of the blood is altered — nutrition is im- 
paired — nervous expenditure exceeds the supply — 
and the brain seems inadequate to its mental efforts. 
Now, though we cannot alter the qualities of the 
atmosphere, we may guard against its morbid im- 
pression ; and from what has been written, many 
useful hints may be gathered with regard to 
clothing, the temperature of rooms, their relative 
dryness or dampness, exercise, food, &c. In 
respect of temperature, it should be mentioned, 
that heat exhausts, while cold accumulates nervous 
irritability ; and the object is to prevent an excess 
of either the one or the other state ; for if nervous 



OF BODY AND MIND. 551 

energy be exhausted, the brain is enfeebled ; and 
if too much accumulated, it loses its elasticity, and 
is unable to employ what it possesses ; torpor is 
produced from this " embarras des richesses ;" and 
this sensorial torpor may not only interfere with 
the cerebral processes, but may even destroy life. 

From all this it will be seen, how largely these 
varying conditions of the atmosphere may, nay, 
more, must operate upon the manifestations of mind ; 
the manifesting organ cannot be thus interfered 
with, without producing a great influence upon its 
function — not only with regard to the comfort, but 
the brilliance and correctness of impression — the 
power of attention, memory, association, reasoning, 
judgment, all of which may be more or less as- 
sisted or perverted by these variations. In addition 
to all these, there is oftentimes a hidden state which 
we know not how to explain, and which escapes 
the researches of the experimental chemist. The 
air of the crowded city and of the country ; that of 
the mountain and the valley ; that of the purest 
character, and that which is loaded with malaria, 
does not differ materially in its eudiometrical pro- 
portions. Yet it does so to the sensations ; we are 
conscious of the difference ; the first air passages 
inform us of the change ; they are the conservative 
sentinels of the body. And we have reason to 
believe, that while there are these great differences 
(though in the present state of our knowledge, 
chemically imperceptible) as to the production of 
health or disorder, there exist also yet minor dif- 
ferences which are very essential to the comfort 



552 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

and well-being of many of the functions of the 
body, but particularly of the cerebral organ, and 
of its peculiar functions, the infinitely diversified 
manifestations of mind. 

In our own climate, where the vicissitudes are 
so great, we are not so much called upon to watch 
against extremes, which are rare, but against the 
frequent variations. And although the constitution 
becomes, by habit, greatly inured to climate ; and 
although there seems to be always, and every- 
where, a sort of relation between the one and the 
other; yet, notwithstanding these two modifying 
circumstances, the transitions are so great and so 
frequent, as oftentimes to overturn the harmony of 
the system, and to produce uneasy or perverted 
mental manifestations* The absence of sun — the 
clouds, and fogs, and damps, and gloom of our 
climate, have been unjustly accused of producing 
the number of suicides which we have unhappily 
so frequently to chronicle. And again, this is not 
true ; for although our proportion of suicides does 
not exceed that of our neighbours, whose climate 
is exempted from these peculiarities ; yet there can 
be no question, that it does exert a considerable 
influence upon the brain, upon the manifestations 
of mind, and therefore upon national character. 
We would not push this remark too far; it is 
enough for our purpose, that the climate exerts an 
influence upon the manifesting organ ; and if so, 
necessarily also, upon its manifestations. 

There is a something peculiarly injurious, also, 
in the mode by which the impression of the atmo- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 553 

sphere is received, though it may be the same 
atmosphere. In the open air, all will be well, 
but received through an aperture, by which a 
current is produced, cold will be quickly caught; 
the impression will be immediately felt by the 
sensorium ; the function of the brain, which has 
been carried on well to this moment, becomes 
almost instantly beclouded ; listlessness creeps over 
the frame ; dulness and stupidity of thought follow 
in its train ; intellectual occupation becomes a 
burden ; a morbid condition has been occasioned ; 
and both body and mind suffer from its influence. 

A few words on the changes of opinion, which 
seem to take place during the course of life, will 
lead to the concluding part of the subject. By 
this we intend not those violent and rapid 
changes which transmute character, and which 
are dependent upon some powerful conviction sud- 
denly or gradually wrought upon the mind. These 
may be considered as spiritual or mental changes 
generally effected through some very powerful 
impulse, motive, or emotion, brought before the 
mind at a time when it has been prepared by cir- 
cumstances or events, to receive such impression, 
and to yield obedience to its impulses. This is 
remarkably the case with the careless man of the 
world, whose heart has been prepared by the Spirit 
of God — perhaps through the agency of sickness 
or sorrow, or some other influence which has com- 
manded attention — to listen, and to receive the 
truths which are necessary to eternal peace; and 
then there is a gradual awakening of the attention 



554 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



to moral and religious motive ; or less frequently, 
conviction flashes deeply upon the mind, and the 
individual instantly turns to God with, " What 
shall I do to be saved ?" These instances of sudden 
conversion are not to be lightly esteemed ; doubt- 
less they do exist ; and if followed by a beautiful 
consistency of character, they are deserving of the 
highest estimation. 

The same thing is to be traced in a case of 
much less importance, viz. 'political conversion. 
Alas ! for human nature ; deeply regretted is to be 
the fact, that this is too often the consequence of 
interested motive ; and the frequency of this dis- 
honesty has thrown an air of doubt over the sin- 
cerity of all these conversions. And yet nothing- 
can be more likely, than that an individual who 
has been educated in the trammels of party, and 
accustomed to go with that party— to think with 
the same thoughts, and to act, and to believe, and 
judge, as his party acts, and judges, and believes ; 
it is not otherwise than perfectly feasible, that such 
an individual should take alarm at the tendency 
to evil of some one of its dogmas, — should be scared 
on the brink of the precipice over which he sud- 
denly finds himself beetling, and should become 
anxious to quit for ever the ranks of that party 
which had brought him to so terrible a dilemma ; 
and under these circumstances there would be a 
fair and genuine change of opinion. As in all 
other changes of views upon important subjects, 
the individual very generally becomes a bigot, — 
exclusively attached to his new opinions, and giving 



OF BODY AND MIND. 555 

little toleration to others ; a result very much to 
be deprecated, especially as these impulsive changes, 
though taking place with the best of motives, dc 
often arise from error in judgment, or some hasty 
prejudice : and more especially as they always give 
rise to the appearance of what is too frequently the 
fact, that the change has been effected bv new 
views of aggrandisement, or new channels opened 
to interested ambition, and therefore possessing a 
sordid origin. But confessedly great as is this evil, 
and still greater liability to mistake and misre- 
presentation ; that would be a yet greater evil, 
which holds the individuals whose opinions have 
been really and conscientiously changed, spell- 
bound within the precincts of party ; and not 
having* moral courage enough to avow that change, 
and to meet the obloquy which would be the natural 
consequence of such avowal. 

These, however, are not the changes we contem- 
plate, when we speak of that which results from 
bodily influence upon the manifestations of mind. 
This is a commonly received opinion, although, per- 
haps, if broadly stated, it might not obtain general 
acceptation in theory. Yet the germ of this opi- 
nion is to be found in experience ; and the fact, 
that you cannot put old heads upon young shoul- 
ders ; that the old and the young cannot live to- 
gether, on account of their dissimilar habits of 
thought and action ; ail tend to prove that changes 
of opinion do occur, as the natural result of ad- 
vancing years. Every one who attends to his own 
mental operations will have discovered this change 



556 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

in himself; will have found that the views of twenty 
were much modified at thirty, — those of thirty at 
forty — those of forty at fifty, and so on as years 
advance. It may be said, that these changes are 
the result of experience ; and so in many instances 
they are; the folly and etourderie of youth, give 
place to the sobriety and judgment of manhood, 
and the views become more mature with advancing 
years. But upon what does experience act? Does 
it not consist in a series of impressions made, and 
more accurately made, upon the manifesting organ ? 
Is it not a greater perfection in the tact of re- 
ceiving, and comparing, and judging, and of the 
laws of habit and association ; all functions of the 
organ of mind? While, then, we admit, that the 
mind itself may be operated upon by mental or 
spiritual motives, we also contend, that the mani- 
festations of mind may he, and always are operated 
upon, by changes in the manifesting organ ; and 
that these changes are constantly going on, though 
they be not such, as to interfere with the conscious- 
ness of personal identity. 

In looking at this subject, the complexity of the 
organ operated upon by physical causes from with- 
out, and by spiritual causes from within, must not 
be forgotten. Everybody knows, that change and 
renovation are going on all over the system. The 
brain is not an unique exemption from these causes 
of change, though they operate slowly. We have 
reason to believe, that not a single particle of the 
brain of the present individual belonged to him 
ten years ago ; yet the sentiment of identity has 



OF BODY AND MIND. 557 

been preserved by its gradual transfer from fibre 
to fibre ; the loss of substance has never been dis- 
covered, because at any one time, it has been so 
small as to be imperceptible; and memory of the 
past, which would have been obliterated, if it de- 
pended simply on impressions made upon cerebral 
fibre — to be retained by cerebral fibre only, has 
been preserved by the grand regulator of the mani- 
festing organ, even by presiding mind, and this 
solution clears away every difficulty. 

Changes of opinion, then, may be subdivided 
into — 

«. Natural and healthful. 

b. Organic. 

c. Morbid. 

a. We enter first upon the natural or healthful 
changes of opinion. These are the result of aug- 
mented knowledge, juster views, sounder reason- 
ing, more accurate judgment ; accumulated ob- 
servation, greater wisdom, and more enlarged 
inferences drawn from the mass of facts brought 
together by experience. That the intellectual 
faculties should be perfected by habit; that intel- 
lectual man should be benefited by experience ; 
that he should learn caution from previous hasty 
judgment ; that he should be rendered more 
circumspect by former errors and failures ; and 
especially that for the future he should be in- 
structed by the results of the past, — by previous 
circumstances and events with which he could not 
have been acquainted in his early a priori reason- 
ings ; and, moreover, that time should have deve- 



558 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

loped tendencies and contingencies which could 
not have been procured by any ordinary foresight, 
and which perhaps had been studiously concealed ; 
and, therefore, that he should have become more 
apt to investigate, and less prone to judge ; these 
are, or ought to be, the result of having the senses 
exercised to discern both good and evil ; and from 
these result those changes of opinion, which are 
here called healthful, and which man is accus- 
tomed to value, and to fix upon them that stamp 
of maturity, which is precisely opposed to the im- 
maturity, the credulity, the narrowness, of the 
thoughts of the inexperienced young man. 

In saying thus much, we would enter a caveat 
against that system of vacillation which we per- 
ceive marking the character of some otherwise 
estimable individuals. It is impossible to ascer- 
tain their opinions, for they change with the daily 
shifting of the puppets which surround them ; they 
take the shape of their immediate society, and the 
impress of external circumstances ; they distrust 
themselves, and under the apprehension that their 
own judgment may be incorrect, they throw them- 
selves upon the judgment of others, and are thus 
induced to take the mould of the last society into 
which they were thrown : a state which arises 
sometimes from diffidence, at others from the 
want of moral courage to avow their opinions, if 
different from their neighbours; at others, from 
a self-complacent desire to be like other persons ; 
again, from the want of having very defined views 
as to the boundaries between right and wrong; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 559 

and. lastly, from a selfish desire to be thought as 
good, as wise, as happy as those around them. 

Now while it is a great evil to be thus unsettled 
in opinion, and while it is very desirable to possess 
clear, distinct, and well-defined views, it is not to 
be forgotten that the opposite of error is not 
always truth, — the antipodes to vice not neces- 
sarily virtue, — and that the opposite to vacillation 
is not pertinacious adherence to opinions once 
formed. Prejudice, bigotry, an obstinate and 
unchanging attachment to opinions once imbibed, 
and which shall not be subsequently modified by 
new and enlarged views, and' more accurate rea- 
sonings, are to be avoided as much as perpetual 
change. The individual who draws around him 
the self-complacent panoply of a belief in his own 
concentrated wisdom, and refuses to alter an 
opinion which he once believed to be correct, is 
in danger of falling into the grossest errors, and 
of exhibiting the unholy example of a man arro- 
gating to himself attributes which belong exclu- 
sively to the supreme fountain of wisdom and 
immutability. Now, even with the most high God, 
infinite wisdom must precede unchanging judg- 
ment ; and the presence of the latter is perfectly 
inconsistent with the absence of the former ; and 
since it is readily confessed that man is not thus 
infinitely wise, (on the contrary, that his acquaint- 
ance is perfect with nothing y ) it is most absurd that 
he should plume himself upon that consistency of 
opinion and judgment, which absolutely does not 
admit reflection or review. 



560 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

b. But we pass on to notice those changes of 
opinion which may be termed organic. Every 
person who has watched these changes in himself, 
and who has looked abroad at the same process in 
others, must possess an entire conviction that this 
change is operated independently of the mental 
changes we have contemplated ; and that the 
powers, and habits, and modes of thought, and 
feeling, and action, do vary much with certain 
changes which are produced in the organ of 
thought. Thus, the mode of receiving impres- 
sions — the perception of these impressions — the 
ideas to which they give rise — reasoning upon 
them — reflection — combination — comparison — in- 
ference — results — are all drawn differently, accord- 
ing to the maturity and perfectness of the organ. 

And this is independent of increased knowledge, 
or accumulated wisdom ; for the brain of twenty, 
which has had large opportunities of observation, 
and of acquiring knowledge, (though perhaps 
being much to be preferred before the brain of 
thirty, equally cultivated, but where the oppor- 
tunities of observation, thought, and reflection, 
have been small,) will never possess the same style 
of thought, will never arrive at the same set of 
conclusions, or of opinions formed upon them. 
The young and the old, the educated and the un- 
educated, the healthful and the sickly, the san- 
guine and the melancholic, the choleric and the 
nervous, can no more travel at the same intel- 
lectual rate, occupy the same intellectual sphere of 
vision, or fix their attention upon the same intel- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 561 

lectual points of affinity, than any other utter 
impossibility can be brought to pass. 

The common remark, that the evening and 
the morning story differ, is a proof of how widely 
this agency is diffused ; and how great is the 
operation of exhaustion or refreshment upon the 
brain, in the formation of opinion. The accumu- 
lation of nervous energy upon the stomach in 
digestion, and its being thus diverted from the 
brain, leaves the latter organ enfeebled for its 
intellectual functions ; its energies are lessened its 
capacities circumscribed ; cold and heat operate 
conversely in affecting its manifestations ; all the 
slighter indispositions, a slight cold, even fatigue 
of muscle, much more fatigue of the organ itself, 
will impair the power, pervert the agency, and 
alter the results of cerebral operation. These, 
again, will operate very differently at different 
periods of life, always taking the shape of the 
physical characteristics of the system, and to be 
predicated, by knowing these characteristics and 
the prevailing temperament. And then, as age 
advances, and infirmities creep on, opinion becomes 
weak and vacillating, or obstinate and unchanging, 
according to the mental prevalence of self-love on 
the one hand, or of diffidence and distrust on the 
other ; both causes operating upon a cerebral fibre, 
less and less capable of those powerful demon- 
strations which marked the zenith of its power, the 
sunshine of its maturity. 

c. But we notice, thirdly, those changes of 
opinion which may be termed morbid ; always in- 

o o 



562 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tending by this term, not those which are affected 
by moral, but by physical causes. The great dis- 
order of the soul or spirit is sin — moral evil, which 
is only to be prevented by the grace of God, and 
only to be cured by the influence of religion ; but 
this is not the class of morbid actions with which 
we have to deal ; our attention is confined to those 
morbid manifestations of mind which are depen- 
dent upon physical causes ; and perhaps these per- 
versions may be all summed up into one of the 
varying forms of insanity. 

A question may here be stated as to those errors 
in judgment which are not purely spiritual, which 
do not arise from lack of information, nor from 
carelessness and inattention in the employment of 
such information ; which are clearly not the result 
of insanity, but seem to arise from placing the 
object to be contemplated in a wrong point of 
view ; so that all the lines drawn from it, and all 
the opinions running upon such lines are erroneous, 
proceed from false premises, and lead to wrong 
conclusions : the entire views formed during this 
process being erroneous. Now, after much con- 
sideration, we are disposed to believe that this 
state arises from a peculiar condition of the cere- 
bral organ, in which it is liable to a minor degree 
of perversity, not amounting to insanity, but pro- 
ducing incorrect results ; just as any temporary 
pressure which produces an alteration in the axis 
of vision will occasion defective sight ; and al- 
though the effect be so slight, and so transient as 
to occasion no permanent influence upon the organ, 



OF BODY AND MIND, 563 

no palpable change in its condition, or functions, or 
structure. 

But the greater number of instances of morbid 
manifestation of mind, of perverse formation of 
opinion, which are not dependent upon moral 
causes, are really and intrinsically attached to in- 
sanity^ in some of its varieties. This, perhaps, 
may be considered as a very sweeping conclusion, 
and requiring some explanation, in order to pre- 
vent misconception of the terms, and the mode of 
their employment. By the term insanity or insane? 
w T e do not simply mean to express the idea of a 
person who is unfit for society — who is an object of 
fear — who requires a special attendant, and medical 
superintendence ; neither do we intend an indivi- 
dual who differs from ourselves in opinion, and 
entertains views which we think strange and 
groundless, as if the right to exclusive correctness 
of thought attached to ourselves ; neither do we 
intend that peculiarity of thought and action, which 
attaches to individuality of character; neither those 
legitimate changes of opinion, which are produced 
by juster thoughts and lengthened experience : but 
we intend those manifestations of mind, which, 
without adequate cause of change, are at variance^ 
with the individual's former self; a sudden perver- 
sion of character, which throws an air of strangeness 
over the whole mental fabric ; a perversity of 
thought and feeling, which needlessly gives undue 
prominence to certain points ; an inaccessibility to 
reason and' conviction ; and the formation of 
opinions without reason, which are strange, gro- 

o o 2 



564 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tesque, inconsequent — at variance with common 
sense, and especially opposed to the views and 
opinions of bye-gone days ; a state, in fact, which 
borders upon the very verge of that fearful preci- 
pice into which intellectual man falls, through the 
dark and easy descent of dreams, visions, voices, 
revelations, hallucinations, mania, and all the 
fearful category of mental alienation. 

We conclude our present design by some re- 
marks on the influence of the body, or physical 
temperament, upon the expression of religious feel- 
ing. 

It cannot have escaped the notice of every atten- 
tive observer of mankind, that not only is there 
much difference in the mode of expression of reli- 
gious feeling among Christians generally ; but also 
that this expression is in a considerable degree 
characterized by physical temperament, and by 
other analogous circumstances, as disease, exhaus- 
tion, debility, &c. Unhappily for the peace and 
harmony of the christian world, this source of dif- 
ference of opinion has not been sufficiently weighed ; 
and that has been too frequently attached to moral 
delinquency, which really belonged to physical 
obliquity; and hence have arisen fierce contests about 
comparative trifles, which have been elevated into 
undue prominence and importance — by the warmth, 
perhaps, of the unduly zealous but sanguine advo- 
cate, contrasted with the cold and dogged inflexi- 
bility of the sincere but phlegmatic opponent. The 
two cannot receive the same impressions from look- 
ing at the same object, because the intellectual rays 



OF BODY AND MIND. 565 

which are given off by that object, pass to the mind 
through very differently characterized media, and 
are very differently refracted in their course. The 
great misfortune is, that Christians do not exercise 
towards each other that charitable feeling for phy- 
sical infirmity, which they are so abundantly willing 
to extend towards themselves : and that while they 
make every possible excuse for their own hasty 
judgments, crude opinions, injustice, irritable 
temper, peevishness, discontent, and a thousand 
other more deeply-shaded moral evils, on account 
of their natural propensities — of their being taken 
off their guard — of their being overtaken by temp- 
tation in a moment of unwatchfulness- — of their 
easily besetting sin — of their fatigue and exhaus- 
tion — of their bad digestion, &c, they do not 
admit any of these excuses for intellectual obliquity 
of vision, which they so readily grant to the for- 
getfulness of practical morality. And yet surely 
the one deserves at least as much consideration as 
the other ; and inasmuch as intellectual brain is 
of higher worth than merely animal brain, it ought 
to be conceded that the former possesses a greater 
number of points of easy disturbance ; and that, 
when disturbed, it deserves a more charitable con- 
sideration for its deviations from rectitude, be- 
cause, in the instance of animal passion, there 
remains the intellectual brain to assist in guiding 
or repelling its errors ; while in the latter case, the 
immediate organ of communication with presiding 
mind, is arrested in its healthy action, and is very 
difficultly capable of carrying on its normal func- 



566 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

tions ; and it is for this reason chiefly, and in the 
hope of securing juster views on many points, 
and a more expansive chanty in all, that we shall 
consider this subject a little in detail, and attempt 
to trace some of its more remarkable results. 

Such is the extensive influence of deeply-rooted 
prejudice on this subject ; and so fondly do men 
cling to modes of thought and action, which have 
been rendered sacred by time and custom, that it is 
difficult to secure a candid and unprejudiced at- 
tention, even to truth, when it is propounded in a 
new light ; and especially when it leads to the 
all-important conclusion, that religion consists in 
the service of the head as well as in the feeling of 
the heart ! 

It is probable, that the severance of these two 
propositions, which ought always to be conjoined, 
according to the individual measure of the intellec- 
tual and affective faculties, has oftentimes been 
occasioned by some influence of bodily tempera- 
ment. Certain it is, that that peculiar expression 
of religious feeling, which consists in a species of 
quietism — a resting in the belief of being only a 
passive agent in the hands of Providence — of 
having every event of life, and feeling of the heart 
arranged by Divine appointment— of having every 
sentiment prompted by Divine influence — of having 
nothing to do, but to wait the exposition of events 
— possessing neither will nor power to act or coun- 
teract — but of having ever)' power of the body, 
and every manifestation of mind, taken from the 
control of the individual, and passively left to an 



OF BODY AND MIND. 567 

unrecognized spiritual influence ; certain it is, that 
this character of religionist is always to be found 
in one peculiar form of the melancholic tempera- 
ment. And it is equally certain, that the opposite 
extreme — the religion of the head — that religion 
in which the affective faculties bear no part, and 
the heart is really untouched — which consists in 
a great display, and outward show of regard for 
its influence — of contention for its doctrines — of 
bustling and overweening activity in many of its 
practical duties — which courts and invites the gaze 
and the approbation of the many — which seeks to 
talk much of its doctrines, but to know little of 
its precepts — which is ever shaping itself to the 
temper of the society into which it is thrown — 
which contends for the exterior decorations of re- 
ligion, but knows nothing of its internal beautifully 
harmonising influence on all the thoughts and 
feelings and actions, is equally to be found in one 
peculiar form of the choleric temperament. 

These forms require blending in order to be per- 
fected. It is certain that man can do nothing of 
himself, except the pow T er be given him to will and 
to do ; but it is equally certain, that he must exert 
himself to carry out the will of Divine Providence, 
and to act in obedience to the Divine laws ; and 
without this moral accountability is destroyed, as 
we have previously seen. 

It is not asserted, that these two forms of error 
are always the result of the prevalence of the me- 
lancholic or choleric temperament. Far from it ; 
on the contrary, it is readily conceded that they 



568 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

may result entirely from mental causes ; all that is 
contended for, is, that a predisposition to these 
several views exists in certain physical tempera- 
ments ; that they will be found to predominate in 
those temperaments ; and that in them will be 
almost always, if not always, the germ of such 
views, unless they have been counteracted by edu- 
cation, and by the implantation of juster and more 
expanded opinions of the Divine economy. Every 
religionist who adopts either of these peculiarities 
is not melancholic or choleric ; but every melan- 
cholic or choleric temperament will exhibit traces 
of their influence ; therefore the expression of their 
views is influenced by physical temperament. 

Now, although it is very generally admitted that 
mind and body act and re-act upon each other, yet 
perhaps very few are prepared to allow the truth 
of the propositions above laid down ; very few, 
indeed, have considered this state of dependence 
of the manifestations of mind upon the peculiarities 
of the body ; and fewer still have thought of what 
is involved in the terms of the announced truth, 
or have contemplated the extent to which the prin- 
ciple may be applied. 

It would be allowed that mind and body " act 
and re- act upon each other" as a general proposi- 
tion, by many who would deny this agency when 
reduced to particulars. Thus it would be allowed 
to pass current as a general truth, by many who 
would reject the fact, that any given state of mental 
or spiritual manifestation has been influenced by 
the condition of the organ of mind at the time, or 



OF BODY AND MIND. 569 

by the peculiarity of temperament enstamped upon 
it from its origin. 

What, then, is intended by those who admit the 
general proposition ? It should seem that it amounts 
simply to this, that if the body be disordered, the 
mind will be enfeebled or irritated, or incapacitated 
for its functions ; and that mental impression is 
capable of disordering the body, disturbing the 
digestion, and in extreme cases of impairing its 
vitality. 

But it must be allowed that the whole mind is 
composed of a variety of functions — as the whole 
body is composed of a variety of organs ; and it is 
not illogical to infer, that these several functions 
may be more or less disturbed, as well as that one 
organ of the body may sometimes suffer without 
the whole body being involved in that suffering ; 
nay, more, it is highly probable, that oue or more 
of these functions will suffer in proportion to 
their sympathy or connexion with the primary 
irritating: cause. And as in both cases the whole 
is composed of parts, although forming, when 
united, one whole, it is most inconsequential to 
infer, that the whole must suffer in either case, 
without producing a greater effect upon some part 
than upon another. 

And again, it is necessary to inquire how the 
admitted general effect is produced ? How the body 
is disturbed by mental emotion ! Hoiv the mind 
is disordered by the indisposition of the body ? 
How the sympathy of action and re-action is main- 
tained ? Upon this as a fact, there will be no 



570 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

difference of opinion ; and it will be readily granted 
by all, that this is accomplished by nervous com- 
munication. But all nerves have not the same 
function ; therefore their direct and reflex actions 
cannot all be of the same kind. They carry on 
different functions according to the organs to which 
they are distributed ; the nerves of the senses can- 
not act interchangeably ; those which are con- 
cerned in the different secretions of the body would 
be useless unless distributed to their respective 
organs ; and the nerves of voluntary motion could 
not carry on the functions of secretion all over the 
body, or of expression in the countenance. Then 
it must be allowed that each nerve has a different 
office, makes a different impression upon the 
common centre of sensation, according to the organ 
to which it is distributed, or the work for which it 
is intended. And if this be granted, it follows, 
in a morbid condition, that each nerve, when it 
becomes the carrier of morbid action makes an 
impression upon the common centre, peculiar to 
itself, as well as that general distorting agency which 
has already been granted. And if so, not only 
must the proposition of confining this influence to 
a general nervous agency be given up, but it also 
follows, that each irritated nerve of the body may 
produce a special irritation of the organ of mind, 
and therefore may give rise to peculiar mental 
manifestations ; and, on the other side, any emo- 
tions, and feelings, and thoughts, and actions, may 
give rise to very varying effects upon the body, 
according to its predisposition to malady, and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 5J i 

according to its original tendencies, — in other words, 
according to its physical temperament. 

The degree in which this effect will be occasioned, 
will differ greatly according to the mental calibre 
first given — according to the degree of its cultivation 
— according to the education and associations of 
the individual — according to the direction of his 
studies — according to his physical habits, and es- 
pecially whether they have been self-denying or 
self-indulgent — whether he have made body or 
mind the supreme object of his attention ; whether 
he has been accustomed to follow the suggestions 
of body and mind blindly and implicitly, or whe- 
ther he has been habituated always to refer action 
to reason and to principle as its groundwork ; 
according as the body shall be generally healthy, 
or shall much more probably possess some feeble 
organ ; and according to a thousand other circum- 
stances, extending into ramifications too minute 
to be followed, but embracing every department 
of vital agency. Still, however greatly this influence 
may vary in degree , it is only in degree ; for the 
agency is universal, and is to be found wherever 
mind and body co-exist, and is extensive in pro- 
portion to the perfectness of both. This being 
satisfactorily established, we may be prepared to 
admit the somewhat startling proposition, that de- 
votional fervour or depression may sometimes be 
more rationally accounted for, by a reference to 
the state of the brain than of the mind, (the pre- 
siding soul,) and this without involving the dan- 
gerous innovation of making a man's religious 



572 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

condition depend upon his organisation, which we 
have before shown to be destructive of moral ob- 
ligation, and therefore abhorrent to the genuine 
Christian. 

It is not religion itself, or the duties which flow 
from it — nor its doctrines and principles — its mo- 
tives — its precepts — its sanctions, which can in any 
degree be influenced by any physical condition of 
its professors ; those hopes, and fears, and prospects, 
which are the legitimate offspring of religion, are 
unchangeable, because their Author is immutable, 
and they are the result of His revealed will, and 
of the operations of His Spirit in man. But the 
joys and sorrows which arise from its influence ; 
and all the manifestations of mind which constitute 
religious character, as it is met with in the world, 
may be, and doubtless are, characterized in passing 
through the medium which gives them utterance ; 
precisely in the same way, as the self-same stirring 
event, which has been witnessed by half a dozen 
persons, will be differently narrated by each, ac- 
cording as his feelings have been interested, and 
as the peculiarity of his physical temperament 
has led him to give the preponderance to one or 
other of the series of phenomena of which it is com- 
posed. We ought not to expect mow uniformity 
of expression upon a subject of the highest interest, 
and which makes the liveliest appeals to the feelings ; 
which, therefore, is influenced in its expression by 
the capacity of the intellect, and the warmth and 
prevailing character of the emotions ; and, indeed, 
to assert that in this matter of the highest moment. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 573 

man was independent of his temperament, and of 
other external circumstances, would be to plunge 
the correct thinker into a labyrinth of difficulty, 
which would terminate either in the torrid meridian 
of enthusiasm, or in the chilly night of the gloomiest 
scepticism. 

The following observations will, we trust, demon- 
strate the truth of this proposition. 

First, there is a unity and simplicity in the 
spirit of man ; that immortal principle of whose 
essence we are ignorant, but which as it is not an 
attribute of organisation, and is essentially distinct 
from it; as it is the appointed medium of communi- 
cation between man and his Maker ; and as it is 
destined to survive the wreck of the beautiful but 
frail tenement it inhabits, must be something essen- 
tially distinct from matter. It is the gift of God, 
and that which distinguishes man as possessing 
the image of God ; hence, we believe that it ema- 
nates from God, and will return to Him who gave 
it ; consequently, that it is single in its nature, 
immaterial, indivisible, immortal ; and although 
mysteriously united to the body, does not derive 
from it any of its characteristic properties. There 
is, except in minds perverted by philosophy falsely 
so called, an eternal consciousness of existence, — a 
knowledge of individual accountability, and a con- 
viction that to itself as supreme, the several func- 
tions, appetites, and passions, are subservient, and 
receive the laws appointed by the supreme moral 
Governor for their subjection. Hence man is a 



574 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

responsible agent, and will be justly called to ac- 
count for the deeds done in the body. 

But while this principle is established, it is 
equally clear, that every man has a peculiar mode 
of speaking, and thinking, and writing, and acting. 
The same causes produce very opposite effects upon 
different individuals, and even upon the same 
person, under varying external circumstances ; there 
is also a peculiarity about the manner of each, 
which constitutes the man, which pervades every 
part of his intellectual and moral functions, and 
which preserves his identity through every outward 
change. This peculiarity may be modified by 
disease or by powerful mental impressions ; yet it 
will always attach to, and serve to distinguish, one 
individual from others of his kind — nay, more, it 
will be handed down from generation to genera- 
tion ; it will be traceable, anterior to education, 
and will survive its influence ; it may be suspended 
by some great physical disaster, but will be resumed 
in proportion as that is remedied. And what does 
all this prove, but that the immortal spirit, though 
unchanged by its union with the body, has its ma- 
nifestations characterised by the physical attributes 
of the medium through which they are exhibited. 
That this is really only following out one of 
Nature's laws, there can be no question ; the only 
wonder is, that it should have excited so much 
doubt, and such violent opposition, when applied 
to the organ of mind. Let us listen to the facts 
of Nature's agency before our eyes ; take, for in- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 575 

stance, the process of grafting an apple-tree ; it is 
immaterial whether the stem be taken from the 
crab or the wild plum, the fruit produced is not a 
crab or a plum, but precisely the kind of apple 
which is grafted ; or take a tree which has hitherto 
borne pears only, and that of one kind; graft it 
with half-a-dozen different grafts of pears, and of 
apples at the same time ; the result will be that 
each branch so grafted, will produce, not the original 
pear of the parent stem, but the pear or the apple, 
which has been grafted on that particular branch ; 
and this not interchangeably, and without the 
slightest liability to error. The effect is invariable ; 
and what does it teach us, but that the vitality and 
the juices of the parent stem are so modified in their 
passage through the peculiar vessels of each graft, 
that the original pear-juice is exhibited first in a 
dozen different blossoms, and finally in half-a-dozen 
different kinds of pear, and as many dissimilar 
apples. Surely, then, there is nothing extraor- 
dinary in carrying out and perfecting this law, in 
a higher department of Nature's ample domain. 
The spirit then is one ; but its apparent aspects 
are many, because they are exhibited through 
material agents, differing, it may be, in their struc- 
ture, as well as in their aptitude for peculiar mani- 
festations or functions. 

If it were necessary to have drawn more largely 
illustrations of this very simple natural process, 
we might have found it everywhere ; we might 
have found it in the identical basis of the diamond 
and common charcoal : we might have found it in 



576 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

the endless varieties of carbonates ; we might have 
found it in every kind of plant, and flower, and 
shrub, and tree— in the tallest pine as in the hum- 
blest willow which creeps upon the ground, all pro- 
duced from the same simple element ; we might 
have found it in man, with all his bones, muscles, 
sinews, nerves, absorbents, blood-vessels, internal 
viscera, with each variety of secretion, according 
to the peculiar function of the secreting organ ; we 
shall find it in the organs appointed for the most 
important functions, respiration, digestion, alimen- 
tation, &c. — we shall find it in all the organs of 
sense ; in fact, everywhere we shall find that all 
these have one common basis, and yet that each 
carries on its own function, (and in several instances 
plurality of function,) without ever interfering with 
the other — the only difference being that the blood 
brought to each is modified and changed by the 
structure and vitality of the organ, to produce the 
result which Nature designs. And why is the 
brain to be excluded ? Why may not the functions 
of that organ be multifold; and why may not its 
manifestations be modified, not only by the health 
or disorder of the organ, but by its original struc- 
ture^ — its peculiar natural impress — its habits — its 
associations — its sympathies — its vitality ? It were 
waste of time to support this proposition by any 
further elucidations. 

It is, however, necessary to insist upon a second 
principle, viz. that this agency of physical tempera- 
ment can have no influence upon moral obligation ; 
since the principles of religion are everywhere the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 577 

same ; since they are communicated to man by a 
gracious revelation from on high ; and since they 
are of permanent and universal operation ; they are 
addressed to the conscious principle within, and 
admit not of change, according to the caprices of 
every wavering creature of mortality, but abide in 
their original strength, and fulness, and sobriety, 
whatever may be the feebleness, the contracted 
and partial views, the cold or the enthusiastic feel- 
ings of those by whom they are received . In fact, 
no two things can be more distinct than the holy 
influence of religious principle, and the expression of 
devotional fervour : the former is uniform in its ope- 
ration ; the latter is subjected to the agency of 
physical temperament, habit, society, and a variety 
of other extrinsic causes, which may be all classed 
under the general term physical. 

From these postulates is to be drawn the infer- 
ence, that the expression of religious feeling is 
characterized in no small degree by physical tem- 
perament, and by other circumstances arising out 
of the connexion of mind with matter. 

This position will be best illustrated by the ex- 
ample of individuals of opposite temperaments, 
under similar circumstances, as, for instance, the 
highly sanguine, in whom predominate hope and 
joy ; and the melancholic, whose prevailing features 
will be gloom and fear. Let the attention of each 
of these individuals be first seriously awakened to 
the truths of religion ; the one will feel disposed to 
lay hold on the hopes of the Gospel, and will early 
reap peace and joy in believing; while the other 

p p 



578 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

will be weighed down with the impression of his 
sins, and will scarcely be able to realize the infinite 
mercy of forgiveness. The former will gladly pro- 
claim the change which has taken place in his 
views, and will avowedly rank himself with those 
who differ from all his earlier habits and modes of 
thinking ; the latter, with equal sincerity, and 
equal reality of feeling, will seek the shade of re- 
tirement ; will hesitate to join himself in open 
profession with those who declare plainly that they 
seek another, that is a heavenly kingdom, and per- 
haps will distrust his own consistency ; and will 
require the gentle hand of some kind friend to draw 
the modest flower from its obscurity, that we may 
be charmed with the delicacy of its fragrance. 

It can scarcely be necessary to caution the un- 
wary or the captious reader against the abuse which 
may be made of this physical agency, so as to 
mis-represent the operations of the Holy Spirit of 
God, as the author of hope, and faith, and peace, 
and joy, as blended with, or equivalent to, the 
mere impulses of animal feeling, and characterized 
by the varying state of that animal. It is manifest 
throughout, that real religion is never confounded 
with animal impulse. It is not the truth or reality 
of religious feeling ; it is not its depth, nor the 
extent of its practical influence; it is not the 
nature of the motives, nor the degree in which 
they are operative, which are governed by the orga- 
nisation ; but it is the apparent expression of such 
feelings, and convictions, and motives, and ac- 
tions. 



OF BODY AND MIND. 579 

Passing in review the more advanced life of 
the two individuals above distinguished, the first 
will be found foremost in all the bustling ac- 
tivity of charity; his purse and his personal 
exertions will be at the command of the great 
charitable associations of the day ; and wherever 
his public services may be required, there will they 
be found. The latter, with no less sincerity of 
attachment to the principle, will not be equally 
conspicuous in the arena of public meetings, nor 
among the specific agents of charity ; he will 
prefer the unostentatious circle of his own neigh- 
bourhood for the field of his quiet operations ; he 
will be found in the humble cottage of the poor ; 
and many an individual will have to bless his 
unseen, unobtrusive, unknown exertions for the 
relief of temporal calamity, as well as of moral 
wants, and spiritual destitution. 

So, again, as regards the influence of religion 
on the affections, the one will be pursuing his 
happy way in the confidence of his acceptance with 
God, and in zealous devotion to His service ; the 
other, with not less of principle, and steady con- 
sistency of conduct, will persevere in the perform- 
ance of duty, and will increase in good works, but 
will only humbly hope, amidst many fears, that 
he may at last be found among those righteous, 
which are " scarcely saved." The one will have 
more of joy, the other of peace ; in the one hope 
and confidence, in the other fear, and a sense of 
dependence, will preponderate ; the one will ex- 
hibit more courage, the other more fortitude ; the 

pp 2 



580 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

one will be chiefly remarkable for the active, the 
other for the passive virtues ; the one will court, 
the other will shrink from notoriety ; the one may 
become the fearless champion, while the other 
remains the timid defender, of Christianity ; the 
one may seek danger, while the other is only to 
be found unappalled in the hour of extremity, 
where his conduct and his example are required. 

Again, let the two become the subjects of sick- 
ness, or of misfortune and sorrow, and there will 
then be found a remarkable change of expression. 
The former has been dependent for the manifestation 
of his character upon an unbroken state of health, 
upon the integrity of his nervous system ; but let 
these be disturbed, and where are now his activity, 
his energy, his peaceful expectations ? He is sus- 
pended from active duty, and the victim of dis- 
order becomes irritable; repines at the events 
which circumscribe his exertions, and ardently 
prays for recovery, that he may return to the 
sphere of his active duties, wanting which, he 
finds the exercise of the passive virtues encom- 
passed with innumerable difficulties. It is far 
easier to do than to suffer ; the very fact of occu- 
pation is favourable to strength, and gives energy 
to exertion, and confidence of success to zealous 
endeavour; but take away these props, and let the 
post of duty be only to bear meekly, patiently, 
enduringly, the ills with which we are encom- 
passed, and such endurance becomes exceedingly 
difficult. This, too, is a physical condition ; and 
there are few who have not experienced the benefit 



OF BODY AND MIND. 581 

of walking, or of horseback exercise, in dispelling 
the clouds which hovered around them when they 
have been wearied, and worried, and perplexed by 
the intricacies and troubles of life. On the con- 
trary, he who during health may have had less 
appearance of religion, will now exhibit its sweetest 
influence. Always accustomed to struggle against 
constitutional melancholy, he will not be de- 
pressed by its agency ; he will be found stedfast 
in the hour of trial ; he will bear much unmoved ; 
his patience will be acknowledged by all ; he will 
not have to contend with the irritability induced 
by disease, but will earnestly strive after submis- 
sion to the appointments of Providence; this sub- 
mission not being a quiet yielding to inevitable 
destiny which cannot be superseded, and which 
will be made worse by impatience, but a convic- 
tion of the judgment, that what is ordered by 
omniscient goodness must be right — and a cor- 
responding yielding up the best affections of the 
heart to Him whose very nature is love — bene- 
volence which knows no bounds, but in the com- 
plete happiness of all His creatures. 

The same distinction will be visible on the near 
approach of dissolution. It will be presently 
shown that the phenomena of a death bed are 
greatly influenced by the physical circumstances 
which produce it, — that is, by the organ whose 
primary disturbance, and subsequent loss of vitality, 
induce general death ; in the present instance, 
therefore, it is supposed that the two are drawing 
near to the term of their existence under parallel 



582 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

circumstances, and in such a way that the eye 
can contemplate the last closing scene, undisturbed 
by much bodily suffering. The original tenden- 
cies of the constitution will be still marked, even 
when it is about to crumble into ruins ; the one, 
full of hope and of confidence, will welcome the 
last messenger as the appointed angel to introduce 
him to the mansions of the blessed ; the other, 
despite many fears and occasional doubts, (the 
passing clouds of a summer's evening sky,) will 
still hold fast the profession of his faith in Christ 
Jesus, and, relying on the complete satisfaction and 
atonement of his Saviour, he will leave this world 
in the trembling hope, that although the passing 
clouds may have chequered the unbroken serenity 
of evening, and even although his sun may go 
down behind the western cloud, yet that it is only 
darkened as it passes the imaginary line of that 
distant horizon which separates the present from a 
future state of existence, where it will rise to shine 
for ever in unclouded glory. However dissimilar 
may have been their actual feelings, and more 
especially the expression of those feelings, both 
these characters have been influenced by the same 
principle; have rested their hopes on the same 
basis ; have been actuated by the same motives ; 
have lived in obedience to the same precepts ; have 
offered the living sacrifice of their hearts upon 
the same altar ; have reposed on the same sup- 
ports in their hour of trial ; and have been equally 
accepted by the same compassionate Father and 
Redeemer. Now, if these characteristics can be 



OF BODY AND MIND. 583 

compared with analogous passages in the history 
of the lives of the individuals whose death-bed has 
been sketched, it will be found that precisely the 
same phenomena have characterized and distin* 
guished them ; and more, that knowing the pecu- 
liarity of temperament, it will be easy to say how 
each one has felt and acted under any given cir- 
cumstances ; how far they have gone together — 
how far they have diverged — and, again, how far 
they have united in the accomplishment of any 
given purpose in life. 

A similar principle will oftentimes explain the 
difference that is to be found among those really 
in earnest about religion, some of whom will be 
characterized by ardent zeal and enthusiasm, and 
others by quiet steady pursuit, without that glow 
of exertion which the former will manifest. Re- 
ligion is in itself an inductive science, and as such 
appeals to the judgment and the understanding ; 
but the belief in its great truths, which expand far 
beyond the intellectual reach, depends upon the 
proper exercise of the imagination, and involves 
the better feelings of our nature. Thus, it is 
equally an affair of the heart and of the head ; 
and the most perfect and the most lovely Chris- 
tian will be that one who possesses the largest 
reach of intellect, and the greatest depth of affec- 
tion ; in other words, the one who can most fully 
appreciate and receive its sublime doctrines ; and 
who, at the same time, with the simplicity and 
confiding affection of a child, can yield himself 
to the guidance and direction of his heavenly 



584 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

Father. And where there is so great a difference 
of intellectual power, of judgment, of reflection, 
of feeling, affection, and imagination, in different 
individuals, it is not surprising that there should 
be very great differences in the modes of thought, 
and habits of expression, among those who are 
equally in earnest upon this great subject. Con- 
stitutional tendency, and physical temperament, 
will often account for that which perhaps might 
be called worldliness by one class, which class 
would in the views of the former be considered as 
remarkable for cant. And this may perfectly con- 
sist with, and arise from, individuality of character ; 
hence the former should not be designated as irre- 
ligious, nor the latter as hypocritical. 

Again, the circumstances attendant upon con- 
version will also frequently receive a tinge from 
peculiar bodily agency. On this subject many 
well-meaning individuals feel great anxiety, par- 
ticularly if they cannot mark distinctly the period 
when that grand change passed upon their unre- 
newed hearts, and when they first turned to God 
by His Spirit. Now when the sun has risen, we 
do not require to be convinced that it is day, by 
being told the hour at which its beams first be- 
came visible, or the angle of incidence with which 
they first impinged upon our eye from the distant 
hill : we look abroad ; we are cheered by the light, 
and animated by the heat ; we rejoice in its rays, 
and are energized to action by its influence. So, 
when the Sun of Righteousness has arisen upon the 
sinner's intellectual vision, and has shone into his 



OF BODY AND MIND. 585 

heart, we do not require to know the hour when 
this glorious change was effected, because we open 
our eyes, and we see the sun has risen, and that 
the summer is nigh ; that the individual has 
brought forth fruits meet for repentance, exhibit- 
ing a holy and consistent life, and a humble de- 
pendence upon the Spirit of grace. 

Now these are those in whom this change will 
have been so gradual, that it cannot be said with 
precision when it took place. The attention will 
have been first awakened to this infinitely impor- 
tant topic as a matter of study ; its necessity will 
be perceived ; the judgment will be informed ; it 
will be convinced ; the heart will be influenced by 
its determinations ; the clouds of error, and the 
mist of prejudice, will be cleared away by the 
Spirit of God; the offers of mercy will be re- 
ceived, and the fruits of a holy life will be pro- 
duced. On the other hand, there are those whose 
attention is first aroused by some powerful im- 
pression made on the imagination or the feelings ; 
or by some awful manifestation of Divine Provi- 
dence ; or by some personal misfortune or sick- 
ness ; or by some event, apparently of little mo- 
ment, but which appeals forcibly to the heart. 
Thus the sinner is arrested ; he pauses ; he hesi- 
tates ; he cries out in the agony of conscious guilt, 
" Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.'' Here the 
chief difference consists in the fact, whether the 
awakening cause was first exerted upon the un- 
derstanding or the affections ; thus distinctly show- 
ing that the expression of religious feeling is 



586 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

characterized by a pecnliar physical state ; and 
we infer, that if this be the case in one great condi- 
tion, so also will it be in many minor shades of 
thought, and feeling, and action ; shades which, 
in fact, make up the character by their combi- 
nation. 

But we go further, and we assert that there are 
some morbid conditions which attend this process, 
and which evince the dependence of religious ex- 
pression upon physical temperament. In those 
whose attention has been first fixed upon religion, 
through the agency of some powerful cause operat- 
ing on the imagination or the feelings, the influ- 
ence of conviction will be deeply and permanently 
felt; it will often happen that religion will be 
attended to as an exclusive idea; the mind will 
not listen to the calls of business, or of relative 
and domestic duties; the functions of the body 
will be overset ; the integrity of the nervous 
system will be disturbed ; and brooding hypochon- 
driasis, or absolute despair, will be the result. 
Now this is not the consequence of religious influ- 
ence ; for there is a u balm in Gilead," and the 
great Physician of souls does not inflict a wound 
without the power and the willingness to heal. 
Where, then, either of the above states is found to 
exist, a morbid irritation of the nervous system, 
not the agency of religion, is to be blamed : it is 
the train, as the organ of mind, not the spiritual 
principle, which is the source of these morbid 
manifestations. This is still further shown by the 
result of particular treatment. Moral manage- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 587 

merit, in the experience of divines, as well as 
physicians, will produce very little effect, while it 
often happens that medicinal agents will effectually 
bring about a cure. Let the ultimate result too 
be considered. Under the direction of the phy- 
sician, this particular disturbance of the nervous 
system will be removed ; hypochondriasis and de- 
spair will vanish, and their subject will sometimes 
return to his former gaiety and thoughtlessness ; 
he will be absorbed by the pursuit of trifles ; 
another exclusive idea will commonly occupy his 
attention, and his future conduct will be tinged by 
this prevailing impression ; he becomes eccentric, 
and is termed a flighty, romantic, odd creature. 

This is not always the case; for God, in His 
infinite wisdom, sometimes employs this bodily 
calamity so as to make a permanent impression 
upon the mind, which (when its material organ 
has been restored to health) remains subdued by 
religion ; it has left the service of sin, and has laid 
hold of the hope set before it in the Gospel, which 
hope will prove an anchor to the soul, and will 
preserve the equilibrium of a nervous system too 
prone to susceptibility. 

At another time, with perfectly right intentions, 
and with every good principle and good wish, too 
great a degree of eagerness and fervour will be 
visible in the character ; and it will then be 
marked by eccentricities, which would pass cur- 
rent in the world for peculiarity of manner and 
habit, but which in the disciples of Christ are 
commonly magnified, and made a ground of pre- 



588 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

judice against real religion. And this consequence 
arises from not giving due consideration to the 
agency of physical temperament, in a state of 
health, and under certain conditions of excitement 
or depression. Some practical illustrations of this 
principle may be useful, as placing before the 
reader a few of the facts, whence, by induction, these 
principles have arisen. 

1. A young lady whose relatives have shown 
the constitutional tendency to insanity, exhibited 
some years since, decided symptoms of mental 
aberration — taking the form of religious fear — as- 
suming the tyranny of an exclusive idea, and over- 
turning the integrity of the brain. She recovered ; 
but is still liable to occasional derangements of 
the nervous system ; and although truly in earnest 
on the subject of religion, yet her character is 
marked by little obliquities, which, in the judg- 
ment of those who will not make the requisite 
allowance, will operate as a prejudice against re- 
ligion itself. When will candid inquirers separate 
the peculiarities of physical temperament, and the 
influence of physical disorder, from the unbiassed 
manifestations of mental agency. 

2. A poor man of active intellect, whose life 
had been characterized by much deviation from 
the paths of virtue, was attacked by a similar form 
of insanity ; he was confined to his bed by cerebral 
excitement, which was called conviction of sin, when 
one day he said that " Jesus Christ himself had 
come in at the window to his relief," and from that 
period he dated his recovery. What rightly think- 



OF BODY AND MIND, 



589 



ing person does not here recognise a regular 
paroxysm of mental alienation, in which a spectral 
hallucination, from its powerful impression upon 
the sensorium, superseded the first morbid impres- 
sion, and served to restore its equipoise to the 
disturbed organ ? The sequel of this history is 
instructive ; this illness proved the means of awaken- 
ing serious attention to the most important of all 
subjects ; and the individual has since proved a 
useful and a virtuous member of society, and a 
decided and consistent Christian. True, indeed, 
he is apt to be visionary and enthusiastic; his 
personal hopes of salvation rest (as he has con- 
stantly affirmed) in this revelation of Christ Jesus 
to his bodily senses ; and he is much excited if 
any doubt be thrown on its reality ; his general 
cast of character, is that being fond of novelty and 
of eccentricities of doctrine ; and he is liable to that 
determination of blood to the head, and consequent 
nervous excitement, which declare the precarious 
tenure, by which even now reason maintains her 
seat. 

Another illustration of this principle will be 

found in the history of E. F , a truly excellent 

woman of liberal education and enlarged mind ; 
whose conduct for very many years may be referred 
to as unblemished, and whose life, for a considerable 
period, has been passed between the alternations of 
long intervals of depression and fitful gleams of 
cheerfulness, and even of joy. During the former 
state, a degree of languor is observable in the per- 
formance of religious services ; there is a listless- 



590 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

ness and inaptitude — nay, more, perhaps a positive 
disrelish for the pursuit : the mind is a burden to 
itself, since the consciousness of this indifference 
weighs upon it with all the force and impression of 
criminal neglect, and of consequent doubt as to 
the reality and sincerity of its endeavours and its 
hopes. At another period every thing wears a 
brightening aspect ; there is a high degree of en- 
joyment in every act of religious duty ; there is an 
augmented happiness in the pursuit of sacred 
objects ; there is an eagerness after religious con- 
versation, and a desire to make others sensible of 
the primary importance of Divine truth. A super- 
ficial observer might here pronounce on the pre- 
sence or absence of the sacred influences of the 
Holy Spirit ; but a nearer and dispassionate view 
of the case, would detect the morbid agency of an 
irritated brain ; and might probably discover in 
the hour of depression, that peculiar state of the 
nervous system, in which its manifestations are of 
a feeble or asthenic character ; and in which the 
patient is comparatively safe, although it is con- 
fessed, that in these instances, an insane weariness 
of life is sometimes produced, together with a desire, 
at all hazards, to get rid of the tedium of its con- 
tinuance ; a state which is often considered by ex- 
cellent persons as a peculiar temptation of Satan, 
but which commonly owns a purely physical origin. 
On the other hand, during the alternating reign of 
spiritual comfort, the accurate observer would 
equally detect an excited state of the brain attended 
by a quickened pulse, and a whitish tongue ; a 



OF BODY AND MIND. 591 

great eagerness of expression on all subjects ; a 
constant disposition to talk ; a restless irritability 
of pursuit from one object to another, and again 
another ; an unnatural hurried manner ; a degree 
of good-humour with all things ; an impossibility 
of fixing and controlling the thoughts to any given 
point; together with a determined disposition in 
spite of every effort to wander hither and thither : 
nay, more, he would find that by local depletion, 
and the other resources of medicine ; by abstinence 
and absolute quiet ; and, above all, by procuring 
sleep, (which is generally wooed in vain,) in a few 
days the feverish excitement will be subdued ; and 
the subject of it will be restored possibly to health, 
but more frequently to his former state of depres- 
sion. 

Another individual has been subjected for many 
years to frequent attacks of nervous irritation, 
which are mainly characterized by deeply-rooted 
dissatisfaction with every thing. Surrounded even 
by the superfluities of this world's good, she seems 
as if bereft of comfort ; and is at the same time 
tormented by a consciousness of the sin of ingra- 
titude, arising out of the impossibility she feels 
of entering into or of relishing any of the beauties 
of nature, or of the luxurious enjoyments with 
which she is encompasesd. But when this morbid 
irritation of the brain has been removed, there is 
no longer any distaste towards surrounding objects ; 
there is no longer any sense of the sinful forgetful- 
ness of the bounty of Providence ; she glides 
carelessly along, amused by the veriest trifles, 



592 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

without a single serious thought beyond the passing 
hour, and, indeed, apparently, with a studious 
determination to drive away any similar impres- 
sion. 

It has fallen to the author to notice these effects 
under a variety of circumstances, and in different 
forms ; once in an individual who had no religious 
duties to perform, because she had no soul — an 
irreparable severance had been made between her 
body and her former, self; and she was no longer 
a responsible person, because she had no power 
over what was once herself, but was so no longer. 
Again, the same morbid state is to be found in 
another instance, where the individual would reason 
very correctly, as to what she ought to do under 
certain circumstances ; but when placed under 
those circumstances always acted diametrically 
opposite, alleging that she had no power to control 
these impulses ; and made no effort to control them, 
because she waited for the power, which was to 
originate the will, which was to re-act upon the 
conduct. 

It may be said, perhaps, that these were cases of 
insanity. It is immaterial to the inference to be 
drawn from them. One thing is clear, that they 
are exaggerations of doctrines very commonly en- 
tertained, especially the latter ; and perhaps the 
question of sanity or insanity is only in this instance 
a question of degree and not of kind. And then, 
if these ultra states be called insanity, in which the 
function of the brain is thoroughly overturned, is 
it not a just inference that minor disturbances of 



OF BODY AND MIND. 593 

the same organ will produce similar effects, though 
in an inferior degree, upon the manifestations of 
mind. 

The result of such instances is not to be for- 
gotten : in the former ; the irritation of the brain 
has been removed ; the soul and body are re- 
united ; and there is a quiet, consistent, pious cha- 
racter — active in the performance of every duty — 
active, without ostentation — zealous, without en- 
thusiasm. Time has not produced the same effect 
in the other case, and the hallucinations continue. 
These cases have been under similar management, 
and have had the same amount of energy expended 
upon them ; yet with a different result ; and why ? 
Not because the reason has not been convinced, 
for, perhaps, conviction has been more easily 
wrought in the unsuccessful, than in the successful 
case — but because, in the one case, the health of 
the manifesting organ has been restored, and in 
the other has remained disordered. 

Do not these things prove a striking dependence 
upon physical conditions, for the expression of re- 
ligious feelings? It is not, therefore, the amount 
of enjoyment which may be derived from the ser- 
vices of religion, but the conscientious perseverance 
in its duties, which should form the criterion, by 
which to test the sincerity and earnestness of pur- 
pose, which animate and guide the heart. 

So, also, with respect to the expression of prayer. 
A great difference is observable in different indi- 
viduals in their power of commanding their atten- 
tion, and associating their thoughts, as well as in 

Q Q 



594 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

elaborating and giving utterance to their ideas. 
The spirit of real supplication may rest as deeply 
in those who cannot clothe their desires in words, 
as in those who are superficially gifted with a 
large volubility of expression. Farther, the same 
distinction may be observed in the same individual, 
under a change of physical circumstances. Only 
let sickness assail the frame, especially sickness of 
a character which distresses the head ; or even let 
it be subject to great bodily fatigue : and now, an 
oppressive languor creeps upon the mind, obtunds 
the feelings, impedes the powers of association, 
distracts the attention, perverts the perception, and 
destroys that nice talent and gift of eloquent com- 
bination, which before might have charmed us 
by its brilliance and its fervor. And wherein con- 
sists this change ? It is not that the immaterial 
principle is suffering from fatigue, but that the 
organ through which its manifestations occur, is 
in a state of irritation. It is a well-known fact, 
that many of the most brilliant public writers and 
speakers, the coruscations of whose imagination 
astonish and enchant the breathless reader or 
hearer, have been persons labouring under this 
affection of the brain ; varying during their whole 
life, through all the stages of alternate languor and 
excitement, from almost idiotic apathy to actual 
frenzy. How little, then, is the state of man's 
heart, in the sight of God, to be judged of by such 
superficial manifestations ! 

The same observation will apply to the capacity 
for fixing the attention upon any serious pursuit ; 



OF BODY AND MIND. 595 

and this, too, not only as a general principle, but 
with the most marked difference in different per- 
sons. There are some individuals possessed of 
highly susceptible systems, on whom very slight 
causes will operate in destroying their powers of 
attention. It will be found that these same cha- 
racters are equally liable to disturbances in the 
economy of the animal functions : and that both 
will happen in the same way, and may be accounted 
for, on the principle of their possessing a peculiar 
irritability of nerves, in consequence of which, a 
slight point of irritation in any part of the system 
is rapidly diffused by the agency of those cords 
through the whole frame ; and occasions that de- 
pression and re-action which constitute the phe- 
nomena of disease. In these subjects, bodily ailment 
of a trifling character will interfere with the in- 
tegrity of the cerebral function, and serious thought 
will become an oppressive burden. Now the de- 
pendence of mental manifestation upon a material 
organ, and the subservience of the latter to the 
former, will be shown by the fact, that this indis- 
position for exertion may oftentimes be overcome 
by a powerful effort, arising out of a deep conviction 
of duty, or from the unexpected agency of some 
extrinsic circumstance. And again, if the sensations 
of sickness be long continued ; or if they should 
be aggravated by any adventitious cause, or if they 
should be accompanied by much pain ; or if pain and 
disease having subsided, shall have previously pro- 
duced notwithstanding such havoc upon the con- 
stitution as to occasion positive debility ; then the 

q a 2 



596 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

feeling escapes beyond the control even of these 
powerful motives, and intellectual vigour can no 
longer be excited by any effort of volition, however 
strenuous. This it is, which renders the languor 
of convalescence so much more difficult to bear, 
than the continuance of positive disease ; the pa- 
tient knows that he is recovering, yet feels the 
consciousness of being inadequate to the perform- 
ance of the duties which he most desires ; he is 
chained down by bodily weakness which he cannot 
possibly shake off, and must wait for a return of 
bodily strength before he can give effect to his 
wishes. This consideration should palliate, if not 
in a great measure excuse, the peevishness, im- 
patience, and irritability, which attend the con- 
valescence of those who have borne severe and 
protracted suffering without a murmur, or a single 
expression approaching to complaint. 

This principle is still further illustrated by the 
opposite condition of the nervous system ; and as 
we have already instanced a high degree of sus- 
ceptibility of that system, so now would we make 
mention of those, in whom impressions do not 
easily develope morbid irritation. The power of 
resisting the influence of disease varies in almost 
every individual, and is a well-known physiological 
fact ; hence, the tendency to destruction of the 
animal frame is much greater in some persons 
than in others ; and this difference probably consists 
in the possession of a greater or less degree of 
nervous susceptibility. Be this or be it not the 
rationale of such a condition, it is very certain, that 



OF BODY AND MIND. 597 

there are individuals so capable of enduring pro- 
tracted suffering, as in a great degree to resist its 
disturbing agency upon the nervous system ; and 
it may be further observed, that their minds appear 
to possess so great a degree of independence on 
bodily function, that they are not influenced, to 
the same extent with others, by the varying con- 
ditions of fatigue or exhaustion, from whatever 
cause arising. An intimate and extensive ac- 
quaintance with the phenomena of health and 
disorder, will show that this happy immunity 
depends not upon any original constitution of 
mind, but of body ; a state which renders less pal- 
pable the associated links in the chain of morbid 
action, and which defends the nervous apparatus 
from excitement upon trivial occasions ; in fact, 
which renders it less susceptible of diseased irri- 
tation, and better capable of resisting its agency. 
In these cases, the brain is not the weak but the 
strong organ of the body, and therefore it is the 
last to be disturbed by any cause which destroys 
the balance of health. It will be easily seen, too, 
that this property, which is a gift of the Creator 
in the constitution of nature, and originally a 
purely physical attribute, may be strengthened and 
enlarged by the action of moral means upon the 
organ through which these manifestations of mind 
become cognisable ; so that a firm and determinate 
judgment — decision of character — prompt and per- 
severing action — inflexible justice — the influence 
of the affections and passions — the agency of custom 
and habit — and above all, the operation of religious 



598 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

principle, will do much towards establishing what 
God has thus bestowed ; and, on the contrary, 
the absence of these circumstances will render this 
original gift almost entirely nugatory. The power 
of withdrawing from self, and surrounding objects ; 
of abstracting the mind from things which make 
a present powerful appeal to the feelings, and of 
fixing it upon future unseen realities, is in a great 
measure the result of these two causes; viz. the 
original constitution of the mental organ developed 
and enlarged by the influence of those moral 
agencies which give energy to intellectual and 
spiritual action ; and which diminish the sympa- 
thetic connexion that exists between the organ of 
thought, and the other organs and functions of the 
body. 

This principle will serve to explain the various 
and even opposite features which are remarked in 
different individuals, in regard to the joyful exercise 
of faith. Faith is, indeed, the gift of God; but 
the manifestations of its influence to us mortals 
who cannot read the inmost recesses of the heart, 
must be made through the clouds of materiality. 
Its operations upon mind and conduct, and our 
perception of them, are alike depending upon 
organic influence ; and are, therefore, subjected to 
the laws which govern organic life. It will be 
manifest upon reflection, that the active exercise 
of faith, and hope, and joy, involves not simply 
a firm belief in certain principles, but also the 
exertion of imagination ; or rather of that exqui- 
site perception and discriminating association which 



OF BODY AND MIND. 599 

are the offspring of that mental property : and 
these are essentially depending for their mani- 
festation upon the health, and strength, and apti- 
tude of the organ of mind. A little consideration 
devoted to the individuals themselves will show at 
once the kind of constitution in which these feelings 
will be found to predominate ; heightened, it is 
true, by moral and religious circumstances, but 
still most strongly marked in certain physical 
temperaments, in which, abstracting the attribute 
of religion, the same tendency will be found to 
prevail. It should, however, be distinctly under- 
stood that this property, although it appears to 
communicate a certain degree of vigour to the 
principle, is by no means necessary to its steadfast- 
ness ; and perhaps, indeed, it is not easy to estimate 
the liability of such quickly susceptible minds, to 
be overset by the powerful impression of this prin- 
ciple, awakened by a conviction of the favour of 
God, and by the anticipation of heavenly felicity ; 
and thus, by the re-action of mind upon matter, 
to have the balance of reason overturned, or the 
integrity of some one or other weak organ of the 
body destroyed. Reflection upon these circum- 
stances will show, that the characters so situated 
are liable to be assailed by very different kinds of 
trials and difficulties, since the tendency of the 
one will be to doubt its possession of genuine 
faith, and to all the depressing consequences of 
this conviction ; while that of the other will be 
towards the effervescence of joy, and to the luxury 
of uncontrolled thought, floating on the surface 



600 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of an ever-wandering imagination. Happy, in- 
deed, should we be, that the object to be most 
desired, and sought after, is not the joy of faith, 
but the humble confidence of child-like depend- 
ence ; and that the evidence for the existence of 
this principle of faith is to be sought after, in the 
unyielding perseverance of duty, through all the 
difficulties of this world's contumely, rather than 
in the uncharacterized pleasures which arise from 
a heart elevated above itself and the things around 
it, under the precarious agency of excited and joyful 
emotion. 

The operation of the same cause may be traced 
towards the close of man's earthly existence, and 
upon the eve of his dissolution. I am aware, that 
I am approaching a very delicate subject; but 
truth is of more value than any indulgence of the 
erroneous opinions of some worthy persons, who 
may not have sufficiently considered the influence 
of the dependence of mind upon matter for its 
manifestation ; and who have, therefore, constituted 
the death-bed scene an event of much greater 
moral consequence than it really is. There are 
some circumstances of great importance to be con- 
sidered in connexion with this subject, and which 
will be now pointed out somewhat in detail. 

There are individuals who have viewed the 
occasionally unimpaired, and even increased thought, 
and vigour of mind towards the close of life, as an 
evidence of the immateriality and consequent im- 
mortality of the soul. But it is neither ; and there- 
fore the idea should not be entertained, since, if 



OF BODY AND MIND. 60 J 

erroneous, it can scarcely be held without evil 
effects. And so it is in the present instance ; for 
if the state just detailed be received as lawful 
evidence of the soul's immateriality, and eternal 
existence ; then the opposite, and by far the more 
frequent state, in which the mental manifestations 
are obscured, or perverted by disease, must be 
received as lawful evidence of its materiality y de- 
cadence^ and consequent approach to extinction ; a 
conclusion which none but the most infatuated will 
allow. The truth is, as we have seen, that mind 
is depending for the integrity of its manifestations 
upon the health of its organ, the brain. And when 
organic life is verging to dissolution ; when all the 
functions of the body, depending upon the brain 
for their continuance, are feebly performed ; and 
when every circumstance proclaims the approach- 
ing separation of all that is mortal in man from 
his spiritual nature ; it is quite impossible to expect 
that the manifestations of his mind should not also 
be impaired ; much less, that they should generally 
be brightened, and rendered more vivid and intense. 
True it is, that this phenomenon may be observed 
in some rare instances; and it may then be ac- 
counted for, on the principle above-mentioned, in 
explaining the remarkable degree of independence 
of some minds upon physical causes ; namely, 
partly upon original constitution — partly upon the 
force of moral influences. But these influences 
form exceptions to the general rule, which is un- 
doubtedly, that the manifestations of mind are 
rendered feeble or obscure, inefficient, or perverted, 



602 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

exactly in proportion as its organ may have been 
subjected to the influence of disease. 

Many persons, who are anxious for a triumphant 
death-bed, are not aware how much of animal 
fervour may be mingled with such expressions of 
ecstacy ; and great caution should be exercised 
before any reliance is placed upon phenomena of 
this kind. Death is a fearful event ; and though 
disarmed of its terrors to the Christian, it is still 
a violence from which nature shrinks ; and to the 
failing powers of the body, the quiet confidence of 
submissive hope, " Thy will be done," will be far 
more appropriate than that exulting language 
which depends more upon animal excitation than 
upon spiritual attainment. Even our blessed 
Saviour prayed that he might be delivered from 
the hour of his agony, in submission to the will 
of God the Father ; and with this example in their 
view, his followers need not be ashamed of shrink- 
ing with fear from the physical influence of death. 
True, indeed, that martyrs have triumphed in 
joy at the stake ; but then we must remember 
how much their minds were wrought up to a pitch 
of unwonted elevation, and the extraordinary sup- 
port they derived from above, as witnesses for the 
truth in Christ ; and therefore no general rule can 
be drawn from their endurance of suffering. Be- 
sides, even the powerful stimulus of mere fanati- 
cism has produced almost analogous effects ; and 
the firm and determined resolution of the Hindoo 
widow to expire on the funeral pile of her husband, 
may be quoted as an instance of that ecstatic state 



OF BODY AND MIND. 603 

of mind which arises from a powerful impression 
carrying it beyond its ordinary self. It is very 
possible that the courage and self-devotion of these 
deluded victims of false religion may sometimes, 
perhaps frequently, fail ; but that in some instances 
they do not fail, we have unquestionable evidence, 
and it is enough for our present purpose if, at any 
time, a powerful impression upon the idolatrous 
mind shall have produced analogous effects with 
those which may have given rise to similar con- 
sequences, though with very different views, in the 
case of a worshipper of the true God. 

In illustrating this influence of powerful moral 
motive, it must not be forgotten that we have 
similar effects produced, without even the sem- 
blance of fanaticism to give point to motive, and 
energy to action, viz. in the unbroken fortitude, 
and power of endurance, and exulting triumph 
over the cruelties of his tormentors — pointing out 
to his enemies the mode in which the intensity of 
their inflictions might be increased — and coura- 
geously bearing up under every ingenuity of torture 
without an expression of suffering— even taunting 
his persecutors with their little capacity to produce 
pain— and all for what ? only to sustain the 
honour of his tribe — only to bear suffering and to 
die as a Red Indian ought to do, without giving 
a colourable pretext for triumph to his enemies. 
And if so inferior a motive can give to this fine 
and noble, but natural character, such a supe- 
riority to physical suffering under merely physical 
exaltation, can we wonder that the Christian 



604 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

martyr may under similar circumstances exhibit 
an equal amount (greater he cannot) of superiority 
to pain, when to a similar state of physical excita- 
tion are superadded with him, all the present com- 
forts and the future hopes of the christian religion, 
and all the supports and sanctions of divine 
truth ? 

However, experience shows that the supposed 
rule is fallacious, for many a feeble Christian 
expires in trembling doubt, while many a careless 
sinner is remarkable for his calm, or rather his 
thoughtless dismissal ; many a self-righteous pha- 
risee has left this world with exulting recollections 
of his own good works, on which were built his 
hopes of happiness beyond it. This observation is 
grounded, not upon theory, but upon actually 
witnessing the death-bed of many ; and this has 
occurred to such an extent, and so repeatedly, that 
the nature of the malady, and the kind of tempe- 
rament being given, it will be easy to predicate, 
cceteris paribus, the peculiarities of the death-bed. 
Let not, therefore, surrounding friends be too 
solicitous about the last words of the dying, under 
the influence of disease, and of failing cerebral 
power ; but let them rather look back upon a 
holy and consistent life, spent in the service of 
God, as the fruit and evidence of faith in Christ ; 
and as springing from the redeemed sinner's being 
washed, and purified, and sanctified by the blood 
of Christ, and clothed with his spotless righteous- 
ness, by the Spirit of our God. Here let them rest 
their hopes, on a ground that will not deceive 



OF BODY AND MIND. 605 

them, rather than upon the precarious phenomena 
of dissolution, characterized by physical tempe- 
rament, encompassed by infirmity, and modified 
by a great diversity of organic irritation. This 
will form a testimony to the truth of the Gospel, 
far more valuable than the last expressions of the 
expiring Christian. " Blessed are the dead which 
die in the Lord ; they rest from their labours, and 
their works do follow them." 

We all need the motives of duty to be constantly 
before our eyes; perhaps, therefore, there is a danger 
lest the above view of the subject should exert a 
benumbing influence upon the watchfulness and acti- 
vity of the Christian ; and lest he should refer all 
the circumstances of mental joy or suffering at this 
season to purely physical causes. But these phe- 
nomena are not wholly dependent upon a bodily 
origin ; and indeed the state of the brain itself, 
at this very time, will be materially influenced by 
its previous habitual actions. And let him rest 
assured, that whatever may be his external situa- 
tion at the moment, he has no reason to expect 
tranquillity, if his life has not been actively con- 
sistent with his profession. This is indeed involved 
in the previous supposition ; but it needs to be 
broadly stated, that if the believer in Christ has 
slumbered at the post of duty, the enemy will have 
sown tares among the wheat, " while men slept ;" 
if he has omitted to cultivate his talents to the 
utmost ; if he has been remiss in attending to the 
ordinances of religion ; if he has been careless in 
his walk and conversation ; if he has been proud 



606 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



and highminded ; if he has been negligent in 
discharging the offices assigned him by Provi- 
dence; above all, if he has indulged any secret 
iniquity, or allowed any unhallowed passion, or 
suffered the existence of any idol in his heart, and 
that thus his affections have been in a measure 
weaned from his God and Saviour, — then, indeed, 
though his lamp may not have gone out, yet it 
will yield but a feeble and flickering light to 
others ; his own hopes, also, will be undefined and 
uncertain ; he will have planted a thorn in his 
dying pillow ; he will have thrown a deep shade 
over his prospects ; he will have brought anguish 
into his bosom, and will have exchanged the placid 
smile of serene and humble dependence, for the 
tears of bitter penitence. 

But there are also other circumstances connected 
with the last hours of life, which enthusiasm and 
superstition have embraced, and to which they 
cling with a pertinacity of grasp, not unusual when 
determinativeness has resulted rather from feeling 
than from judgment. Among these may be reck- 
oned the vision of angels, and an immediate reve- 
lation of the glory of the Saviour, and of the 
heavenly world. Let it then ever be recollected 
that the spirit, though hovering on the verge of 
eternal scenes, is still confined to its material tene- 
ment ; and that whatever it may perceive, is 
through the medium of that corporeal habitation. 
It is only purely mischievous to suppose it disem- 
bodied, and capable of its future powers and func- 
tions. Besides, these things may be rationally 



OF BODY AND MIND. 607 

accounted for. In the failing powers of the body, 
and particularly of the brain, ocular spectra are 
not unusual ; and these, characterized by an 
imaginative or enthusiastic disposition, will suf- 
ficiently explain phenomena which are purely 
corporeal in their origin. The true method of 
estimating these circumstances, as well as others 
which generally attend the near approach of dis- 
solution, is, by remarking their varieties in dif- 
ferent individuals, and by comparing them with 
the particular organ which is the principal seat of 
irritation in approaching death. 

It will be manifest, upon a very little reflection, 
that in fatal diseases some one organ gives way 
first, loses the integrity of its functions and of its 
structure ; or, in fact, dies first. This disorganisa- 
tion may be primarily visible in the lungs, the 
heart, the stomach, the brain, or any other im- 
portant viscus. When it happens to be the brain, 
the manifestations of mind are in ordinary cases 
obscured or perverted ; but in some other instances 
an artificial brightness and intensity may be given 
them, just before their final dissolution, as will 
appear subsequently. And in those instances in 
which any other organ of the body is the first to 
give way, its effect upon the mental attributes will 
be in a ratio proportioned to the intimate sympa- 
thy and connexion which exists between the failing, 
dying viscus and the brain ; great, where that con- 
nexion is extensive, small, where it is remote and 
contingent ; in some cases scarcely at all percep- 
tible ; in others, forming one of the most painful 



608 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

phenomena attaching to the pillow of sickness and 
the bed of death. And moreover, there will 
always be individual peculiarities, referrible to 
natural or acquired idiosyncracies, the principles 
of which have been already detailed. All these 
considerations should tend to prove of how little 
comparative importance are the circumstances of 
the death-bed ; how all-important is a holy, vir- 
tuous life, built upon the love, and devoted to the 
service, of Christ. 

There is, however, one other event to be ani- 
madverted upon in this place ; one, which many 
excellent individuals appear to consider as of great 
importance, and as being the effect of a special 
revelation from on high. All such views are in- 
judicious, and tend to the excitement of much 
prejudice, because they are opposed to the con- 
clusions of truth. Yet the soundest wisdom is to 
be found in religion ; and that is the truest philo- 
sophy which contemplates man in all his relations, 
compounded as these are of animal, social, and 
religious life. The author was particularly struck 
with this error, on perusing a sermon some years 
since, on the death of a clergyman, in which a 
state of this kind is evidently set forth as being 
very important. Yet it is not only unimportant, 
but the statement is injudicious. The instance 
alluded to was clearly one of those common events 
which might be accounted for on common prin- 
ciples ; the brain, the organ of mind, had already 
been failing ; and then, just before dissolution, a 
sudden coruscation of intellect, tinged by religious 



OF BODY AND MIND. 609 

feeling and principle, shone forth ; an effect which 
indeed might be justly pleasing to by-standers, 
as an evidence of what the previous life had been, 
but certainly ought not to have been considered as 
the result of an especial communication from the 
Holy Spirit, whatever might have been the im- 
pression upon the mind of a highly susceptible 
individual, in a moment of deep feeling, enlarged 
by all the interesting circumstances of a Chris- 
tian's translation from the misery and feebleness of 
disease, to the happiness and energy of heaven. 

If the opposite conclusion were true in one case, 
it must be true in all similar cases ; if applicable 
to one, it may be applied to all others, in which 
the analogy is perfect; and the consequences 
which would arise from this admission, would in 
themselves be inadmissible; for if it be ascribed 
to an especial revelation in the case of a good 
man, the same cause must be alleged as producing 
a similar effect, when, in the judgment of the 
most expansive charity, hope must be slender. 

The fact is, that in both instances these pheno- 
mena are referable to one physiological law, viz, 
that just before the giving way of any particular 
organ of the body, there is communicated to it, 
and to the nervous system at large, a temporary 
stimulus, which gives to the patient a sensation 
as if the individual failing viscus were actually 
in a state of high health and vigour. This law 
may be easily exemplified ; and indeed it is well 
known to all persons who have a weak digestion ; 
under some circumstances, there will be a feeling 

R R 



610 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

of comfort and elasticity diffused throughout the 
system, and, as it should seem, irradiating from the 
very organ in fault, the stomach, which to the 
uninitiated patient speaks a decided improvement 
of health and strength ; whereas, in five minutes 
afterwards, a consciousness of sinking and debility, 
and all the other phenomena of indigestion, will 
proclaim that this organ was only under the in- 
fluence of temporary excitation, from the actual 
commencement of that morbid action which was 
so speedily to terminate in failing power. 

This principle may be applied to the brain ; and 
it will be noticed that a similar excitation of 
mental manifestation is a very usual phenomenon 
as the precursor of dissolution. So frequent, in- 
deed, and so obvious is this circumstance, that it 
has been noticed by ordinary attendants upon such 
occasions ; who, without reasoning at all, or rea- 
soning only erroneously, have termed it, a " light- 
ening before death," a circumstance which they 
consider as marking the approach of that event. 
It is always distinguished by a high degree of 
energy, and intensity of cerebral manifestation ; 
there is a strength of voice, and earnestness of 
manner, which for days, and even for weeks pre- 
viously, have been imperceptible, and which fre- 
quently portray the natural manner in excess ; and 
by this effort the patient's strength is commonly 
exhausted, and the last remnant of vitality is 
extinguished. This may happen alike to all ; to 
the righteous as well as to the careless : the object 
only is different. In the former case, it is charac- 



OF BODY AND MIND. 611 

terized by deep views of religion ; in the latter, it 
relates to family affairs chiefly, or to some other 
subject of great, but finite interest. But one cause 
is sufficient to account for precisely similar pheno- 
mena, differing only in the mode of their applica- 
tion ; and if the first arise from a special revelation, 
so must the second likewise. Nevertheless the 
latter occasion is not worthy of such a supposition ; 
and as it is important not to call in direct super- 
natural agency, in circumstances which may be 
accounted for on natural principles ; and since 
prejudice is excited in weak minds by such a 
practice, and a stumbling-block is thrown in the 
way of those who are almost persuaded to be Chris- 
tians, it is far better to choose the simple alter- 
native of natural or physiological rationale, than to 
contend for a point on which no one valuable 
principle rests for support, which can do no mate- 
rial good, and which may do some harm. 

The question may here be asked, of what utility 
is this discussion ; and what practical benefit will 
accrue from the conclusions, if true ? To this, it 
might be sufficient to reply, that it is always useful 
to arrive at truth, in any particular case, especially 
in a disputed one. But in this instance, the fol- 
lowing objects may be stated, as attainable through 
the adoption of these principles. 

I. To promote a spirit of charity. 

Uniformity in matters of religious belief, so 
far as it is really attainable, is an invaluable de- 
sideratum ; but although there are some cardinal 
points on which all true Christians will meet, there 

r r2 



612 ?HE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

are others on which a certain degree of latitude 
must be permitted both on account of mental ob- 
liquity, and physical infirmity ; for it is not pos- 
sible, that all men should think alike ; and, even 
if it were, they would still express their thoughts 
so dissimilarly, as to give to their hearers the idea 
of difference where no real discrepancy existed. 
Take a hundred individuals from the same class in 
society, and give them some recent and acknow- 
ledged event, on which to detail their own views 
and feelings ; not only will these be different in 
almost every instance, but the manner in which 
the opinion is conveyed will be equally diversified ; 
and this manner forms the style of the individual, 
that is, the appropriate expression of his habits of 
thought and feeling. When this style is natural, 
it is, for the most part, the result of physical con- 
formation ; or, in other words, of that combination 
of mind with matter, and of their long-continued 
mutual influence, which form the individual cha- 
racter. 

If, then, opinion, and feeling, and expression, be 
allowed to be so various; and if this difference can 
be accounted for, on peculiarity of physical tem- 
perament, may we not claim a similar latitude, not 
for one event, and that a recent one, but for many 
and largely-complicated series of actions ; for many 
incontrovertible, though not demonstrable truths; 
for an infinite series of moral maxims ; and for the 
most important doctrines, some of which exceed 
the capacity of man's finite understanding, and can 
only be received as matters of belief? Must we 



OF BODY AND MIND. 613 

not allow, that the impressions received through 
the medium of physical agency, and again conveyed 
to others through a similar mode of communica- 
tion, may, and indeed must, receive a tinge from 
such agency ; an effect, which does not alter their 
original character, but only changes the garb in 
which they are clothed ? If, then, there be indi- 
viduality of character to account for this diversity, 
while the soul remains one, is it not just to account 
for this variety, upon the manner in which that 
soul has been united to the body, and upon the 
medium through which it possesses the power of 
manifesting its operations, namely, by the agency 
of physical means ? 

There is another class of excellent persons, who 
are much disposed to measure the influence of re- 
ligious principle by the capacity and disposition 
to converse about it. They will complain of indi- 
viduals, that they cannot speak about religion ; or 
they will estimate the value of others, by observing 
that they can converse fluently and freely on this 
subject. Nothing can be more erroneous than this 
criterion ; for as a general rule, in other circum- 
stances, it will happen, that they who talk the 
most, feel and clo the least ; and that they are not 
to be relied upon, when they come to have their 
opinions tried by difficulties and perplexities, which 
require the forgetfulness, and even the abjuration, 
of selfish inclination and desire. A man of large 
profession, is at all times one to whom the cautious 
hesitate to yield their confidence ; and experience 
has shown that volubility of expression is very 



614 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

generally dissociated from depth of judgment, or 
the steady influence of principle; and, moreover, 
that it is often connected with a weak and unstable 
mind. So, common, indeed, is this result, that 
in one of the most painful situations we meet with 
in passing through life, viz. the disposition to 
suicide — it is said as the result of experience, " Be 
not afraid of hirn, for he talks about it." But, 
granting to any number of persons an equal depth 
of feeling, and conviction of judgment, there will 
still be a great individual difference in their capa- 
city for expressing these identical results. One 
man will be able to attend to the actions of his 
own mind, and to give a clear and connected view 
of each step, of a lengthened series of ratiocina- 
tions ; but another will be utterly unable to explain 
a single grade by which he has advanced to the 
same conclusion. One will find no difficulty in 
embodying his thoughts in language, while this 
may be difficult to another, and impossible to a 
third. One will describe with great minuteness 
of simple detail ; another will give only the broad 
and prominent outline ; while a third will add to 
every phenomenon the glowing heat of imaginative 
colouring. One will relate his sensations in the 
simplest and most natural method ; another with 
all the aids and disguises of rhetoric ; while a third 
will be unable to describe them at all. Yet it will 
by no means follow, that of these individuals, the 
second feels the most, or that the third does not feel 
at all. In all probability, the converse of the 
proposition may be true, and that, in fact, the last 



OF BODY AND MIND. 615 

feels too deeply to find common language adequate 
to the utterance of his feelings ; while in the first, 
judgment and feeling may be nicely balanced ; 
and in the second imagination be the preponderat- 
ing faculty. But if this be true with the common 
matters of ordinary reasoning, how immensely is 
its probability enhanced when the attention is 
directed to truths beyond the reach of finite capa- 
city ; and when the whole soul is absorbed in the 
contemplation of those sublime and holy doctrines, 
which should fill and govern the heart ; or when 
the eye is stedfastly directed to follow the traces 
of His footsteps, who has been set forth as an 
example for our imitation. Here, again, we infer, 
that the deep agency of Divine truth, and the 
power of expressing it, are seldom commensurate ; 
and precisely because the former acts upon the 
spiritual, while the latter is manifested through 
the physical constitution of man. Let, then, a 
great degree of caution, and an expanded charity, 
be observed in judging of others from their habits 
of mere talking ; and let the judgment be directed 
rather to the steady consistency of active religious 
principle, than to the ready effervescence of feel- 
ing, or the learned loquacity of indifference. 

II. To diminish the influence of prejudice. 

The present view should tend to weaken the 
agency of that baneful monster, which often keeps 
the servants of the same Divine Master from each 
other, enthralling their minds with the fetters of 
ignorance, and shutting them up, not within the 
circle of Divine truth, but within a narrow and 



616 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

exclusive pale of their own creation. It too often 
happens, that even those whose minds are imbued 
with the humility of scriptural religion ; whose 
hearts are warmed by the charity of the Gospel ; 
and whose extensive philanthropy stands confessed 
by all who know them ; it often happens, that even 
these feel, though perhaps reluctantly, and almost 
hating themselves for their feelings, a diminution 
of esteem for their fellow-Christians, who cannot 
think precisely as they think, on matters acknow- 
ledged not to be of primary moment ; or who are 
not animated by equally glowing anticipations ; or 
filled with precisely the same fears ; or stimulated 
to the same degree of hope ; or who do not enjoy 
an equal measure of confidence; — men, whose 
course is marked, not so much by the expression 
of their views and feelings, their joys and hopes, 
as by the quiet, retiring, even, and consistent path 
they have so long trodden ! While a willing 
testimony is often borne to the excellence of their 
character, there is the feeling that something is 
still wanting ; and which something does, in the 
estimation of the prejudiced observer, detract from 
the completeness of the man, the friend, and the 
Christian. Now, it will be seen, that in all essen- 
tial particulars, when tried by the law, and by the 
testimony, these persons are not found iv anting ; 
there is sterling metal, though it may not have 
been so highly burnished, as would be desirable ; 
or it may not have been wrought after a particular 
fashion ; so that it does not reflect so many of the 
rays of truth as may be exhibited by some other 



OF BODY AND MIND. 617 

minds. And this is precisely the case ; the prin- 
ciple is the same, but the mode of exhibiting it 
varies according to the individuality of character ; 
this again being modified in its manifestations, by 
physical agencies. 

With this clue to guide him, when he feels the 
recoil of prejudice arising in his bosom, the cha- 
ritable and well-judging Christian will inquire 
more narrowly ; and possibly may discover, that 
the difference between himself and another, which 
produces this aversion, consists in the expression 
of feeling, rather than in the conviction of judg- 
ment. The latter may be coincident, while the 
former is widely different. Now that which, even 
in common life, contributes to the entireness of 
the man, is the solidity of well-informed judgment ; 
that which thinks accurately, reasons dispas- 
sionately, weighs cautiously, judges slowly, de- 
liberates comprehensively, determines firmly, and 
acts decidedly. It is, then, to the result in action, 
that we should look ; for each step of this process 
will be influenced by the physical temperament, 
the previous habits, the prevailing sentiments and 
feelings. Religion is not merely a matter of feel- 
ing, but of judgment, and of action; for, although 
the contrary is too frequently the case, and although 
feeling predominates, where there is very little 
judgment, yet it will ever be found, that, in the 
hour of trial, this is not to be relied upon, like the 
uniform, unbending principle of settled conviction. 
And it should be recollected, that this, too, is the 
scriptural test ; for the righteous who enter into 



618 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

life eternal, and who inherit the kingdom prepared 
for them from the foundation of the world, are not 
such as have been most prominent in the display 
of their feelings ; but, rather, those whose genuine 
unostentatious faith has produced the fruits of 
righteousness in the life. " Come, ye blessed of 
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, 
from the foundation of the world ; for I was an 
hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, 
and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and ye 
took me in ; naked, and ye clothed me ; I was 
sick, and ye visited me ; I was in prison, and ye 
came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer 
Him, saying, Lord, when saw we then an hungered, 
and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? 
When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee 
in? or naked, and clothed Thee ? Or when saw 
we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? 
And the King shall answer, and say unto them, 
Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have 
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 
ye have done it unto me," 

If, then, this unwilling impression of diminished 
regard do actually operate even with the liberal 
and the charitable, how much more with those 
pious persons whose minds have not been expanded 
by education, by collision with society, and by 
the habit of taking enlarged views of men and 
things ! It is individuals of this class, who are 
particularly subjected to the agency of prejudice ; 
and whose simple honesty requires to be convinced 
of the importance of making an allowance for the 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



619 



different expression of religious opinions, and feel- 
ings, and sentiments, according to the cast of in- 
dividual character ; this tinge being communicated 
by the peculiar mode of mental action ; and this 
again depending not a little on the particular mo- 
dification of physical temperament. 

III. A third object of the present discussion, is 
to cheer the desponding. 

There are those who go on heavily through their 
whole lives — walking in the fear of God — reposing 
by faith on the atonement of their Saviour, doing 
his will, and seeking the promised influence of his 
Holy Spirit, yet apparently wanting in that joy and 
comfort, which we might consider should result 
from being found consistently in the path of duty. 
They are disposed to question their sincerity and 
devotedness to God, because their path is not 
strewed with flowers ; they doubt the reality of 
their interest in Christ, because they are destitute 
of those pleasures which others have experienced 
in obeying his laws ; and yet they are ever found 
at the post of duty ; and in the hour of trial and 
temptation they do not fall away, but are always 
discovered firmly clinging to that Rock, which will 
resist the attack of all the enemies of their souls. 
Notwithstanding, a settled gloom surrounds them, 
and prevents their seeing that they are secretly 
upheld by the Spirit of Christ; and that it is their 
earnest desire, though supported and encouraged 
by very little of enjoyment, to obey Christ, and to 
minister in every way to his disciples. It may be, 
that, in some instances, the mind is clouded by an 



620 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

adherence to some idolatrous affection, which may 
not yet have been effectually given up ; or by 
the unacknowledged indulgence of some favourite 
sin ; but it will much oftener happen, that this 
state is depending upon purely physical causes, 
and that it may be alleviated by their removal. 
There are some minds so constituted, as to be 
always anxious ; fear is their predominant cha- 
racteristic ; doubt and hesitation mark their con- 
duct ; the dark side of the cloud is alone seen by 
them ; difficulties are imagined, where none exist ; 
trials are fabricated from the simplest circum- 
stances ; and life ceases to be chequered with good 
and evil : for every point is encompassed with more 
or less of sorrow, and the heart is sad, in the midst 
of every cause of rejoicing. Now, let such a 
mind be deeply imbued with religious truth ; and 
its prevailing natural tinge will be still discernible ; 
humanly speaking, its way will be marked by 
tears, and closely attended by fear; despair will 
haunt its footsteps ; and it will be well, if sound- 
ness of mental manifestation be not the price of a 
too exclusive devotion to one particular idea. This 
state may sometimes be removed by causes acting 
on the body ; but it has continued through life, 
and even up to the moment of dissolution ; the 
departing Christian has remained under a cloud 
of bodily infirmity, till he has exchanged all that 
is mortal and material, for all that is immortal and 
immaterial ; and has entered into that light, where 
his sun shall no more go down, neither shall the 
moon withdraw her shining. The night of physical 



OF BODY AND MIND. 6*21 

infirmity has brooded over the evening of his life, 
with her sable wing ; and he has walked on in 
darkness, assailed by the wintry storm of ad- 
versity, in the long night of seeming absence from 
his God, encompassed by uncertainty, attended by 
unreal and imaginary dangers, and conscious 
of being surrounded by foes to his well-being, 
whose power over him appeared to increase in 
proportion as his hands hung down. But still he 
has been enabled to maintain a principled persever- 
ance ; and a glorious day will suddenly break 
upon him, when he shall have escaped from the 
burden of materiality, and shall have rested from 
his labours, by having entered into the joy of his 
Lord. This, then, is the criterion ; not, does 
the Christian rejoice in his path ? but does he 
walk in it consistently, reaching onward, and still 
onward, after greater conformity to Christ ? If so, 
he will continue to advance, though he may not 
perceive it, and although to his last hour he may 
consider himself as wanting in the essential matter 
of christian joyfulness. The Christian is com- 
manded to rejoice, and he has reason to do so, 
apart from physical infirmity, provided that he is 
really pursuing the great object of his life ; but 
as well may it be expected that the blind should 
see, or the deaf hear, as that the Christian, pos- 
sessed of a melancholic temperament, should always 
rejoice : the command, like many others, is given 
to those who can receive it, but not to him ; if he 
rejoice at all, it is when spirit triumphs over an 
organ unsuited for the manifestations of joy — or, 



622 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

in other words, when mind obtains the supremacy 
over matter, and the agency of physical tempera- 
ment is subjugated by the halcyon influence of 
the Holy Spirit of God. This state of continued 
gloom was exemplified in one of the instances 
above mentioned, — G. K., who was remarkable for 
her exemplary conduct, but who, during a period 
of twenty, or even more years, considered herself as 
lost ; and never being able to realize a self-appro- 
priating interest in the finished righteousness of 
her Redeemer, died without enjoying hope, though 
always clinging to the Rock of Ages. 

IV. In these views, there is also ground to 
check the presumptuous, and to arrest the self- 
willed devotee of feeling. 

There are characters, whose physical temperament 
is so constituted, that the cloud of doubt scarcely 
ever crosses the serene atmosphere of their tranquil 
joys : to these everything looks bright — their present 
position, and that of those around them, is the best 
and the most favoured ; their sanguine views are 
scarcely ever disturbed by the storm of dissatisfaction, 
or by the hesitation of fear, or by the uncertainty of 
doubt. Faith, it is true, is the gift of God ; and 
it may be communicated in very varying measure 
to different individuals ; but a great apparent dis- 
tinction may very generally depend upon that kind 
of physical constitution which naturally prompts 
a greater display of the principle in one than in 
another ; so that the same amount of spiritual 
faith shall exhibit very different traces, according 
to the physical temperament through which these 



OF BODY AND MIND. 623 

traces are descried. In those in whom there 
seems to be a predominance of the principle, it 
will be found that their feelings are easily excited^ 
and that they possess at all times a warmth of 
character which admirably fits them for zeal and 
activity on the great theatre of christian exertion, 
and gives them an extent of influence, which forms 
a talent most highly to be desired and cultivated. 
Yet let caution attend their path ; let them recol- 
lect how uncertain a guide is excited feeling, in 
pursuit of the solid results of deliberate judgment ; 
let them not be high-minded, but fear ; let them 
not congratulate themselves that their mountain 
standeth strong, while it is in any degree based 
on an arm of flesh ; let them inquire how much of 
natural or physical energy of character attends 
their exertions; how much their lively views are 
depending upon the sanguine constitution of their 
physical temperament ; how much their peace and 
joy are connected with the integrity of their nerv- 
ous system ; and let them earnestly pray and 
strive to be kept humble and dependent, and to 
be preserved from being exalted above measure by 
the abundance of their hopes ; let them, moreover, 
learn to look charitably upon those who are not 
thus abundantly gifted ; let them not rashly con- 
sider these as necessarily possessing a smaller pro- 
portion of faith, but as being perhaps less furnished 
by nature with the means for its manifestation ; 
above all, let them avoid a degree of unsteadiness 
of character, so frequently attaching to this kind 
of physical constitution, if allowed its unlimited 



624 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 

range, and which really only forms the material 
and the temporary tenement of that immaterial 
spirit which will hereafter know all things. 

V. The consideration of this subject should 
stimulate the feeble and the languid. 

If the immortal principle be thus dependent for 
its manifestations upon the incumbrances of mate- 
riality, still it must be recollected that this forms 
no excuse for indolence, or lukewarmness, or supine 
proceeding. For although the operations of mind 
may be influenced by matter, it must never be 
forgotten that this matter is again capable of being 
acted upon by mind ; that it is subjected to the 
laws of habit and association ; and that an organ 
remarkable for its defective formation now, may 
by them, and by a powerful effect of volition, be 
carried to a degree of energy and perfection which 
could not at first have been calculated upon ; that 
which is difficult to-day, may, through the blessing 
of God upon christian vigilance and exertion, be 
rendered presently attainable ; and, after a time, 
become so habitual, as to be accomplished without 
effort. Duty is the atmosphere we breathe ; and 
pursuit the very life-blood of christian existence. 
When once man begins to vegetate, he drops the 
noble attribute of his character ; whenever he can 
be satisfied with present attainments, there is an 
end of his usefulness and value ; he must never be 
contented, unless the character of his day, and of 
every one of his days, be that of progress ! True, 
it may be slow ; but still it must be advancing, or 
he cannot be holy or happy. If he is feeble and 



OF BODY AND MIND. 625 

languid ; if he is less capable of exertion than some 
of his more highly-gifted neighbours, it is only a 
motive to inspire him with greater energy of pur- 
pose, that he may make up by increased exertion 
for this apparent loss of power ; and let him re- 
member that God giveth more grace, not to the 
indolent, but to the humble and diligent inquirer. 
Let him propose to himself, for imitation, the cha- 
racter of Christ ; in it will be traced this attribute 
of progressive exertion. And let him feel assured, 
that although others with more splendid talents 
may outstrip him in his course, yet that Christ 
delights to dwell with the humble ; that He carries 
the lambs in his bosom, and gently leads those that 
are with young ; and that the reward is promised 
not to the gift of brilliant talent, but to the perse- 
vering exertion of sincere desire. 



s s 



626 



THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE 



CONCLUSIONS. 



I. The brain is the organ of mind. 

II. Mind is possessed by man in common with 
the lower animals. 

III. In man, however, there is this grand dis- 
tinction, that he possesses a spiritual principle su- 
peradded to animal mind ; of which his enlarged 
brain is equally the organ. 

IV. But the brain is the servant of mind. 

V. As such, man is minutely responsible for all 
his acts and deeds, since it is the spiritual moral 
principle which gives laws to organisation, and not 
organisation which gives laws to spiritual manifes- 
tation. 

VI. The doctrines of phrenology may be true, 
but are not proven ; they are unimportant to the 
present discussion ; since, if the brain be divisible 
into a multitude of organs, they will all come 
under the one general law above expressed. 

VII. The doctrines of phrenology as held by 
many of its professors, and the materialism to 



OF BODY AND MIND. 



627 



which they lead, are equally unphilosophical and 
untrue. 

VIII. There is a law of essential progression en- 
stamped upon man's history ; and deprived of this 
constant progress, he cannot fulfil the great end of 
his being. 

IX. This essential progression is dependent, 
partly, upon mental experience ; partly, upon the 
increased aptitude of the organ for conducting its 
functions. 

X. Man is a free agent : he can, if he will, 
choose the good, and refuse the evil ; but that will 
may be, and generally is, perverted : and at all 
events this function of volition is under a number 
of sinister influences. 

XL This free agency may exist in ignorant 
or in enlightened man ; but in the former it will 
be limited by prejudice and passion; in the latter 
it will be guided and governed by the education of 
the organ, by moral and religious principles and 
motives, and by the influences of the Holy Spirit. 

XII. These motives and principles are dependent 
on that future state of rewards and punishments, 
which awaits mankind according to the deeds done 
in the body, and which forms a part of revealed 
truth, being also perfectly consistent with the 
analogy of nature. 

XIII. The morbid manifestations of mind, which 
are generally termed " mental diseases," are de- 
pending upon corresponding states of the brain, 
as the organ of mind. 

XIV. The mind has a wonderful influence upon 



628 THE RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE, &C. 

the body, both in its sound and disordered con- 
ditions ; and it is necessary to consider well this 
influence, in order to maintain the perfect integrity 
of both, and their reciprocal dependence. 

XV. The body, that is, the physical tempera- 
ment, at all times, and especially its peculiar state 
at the moment, has an extraordinary influence upon 
the manifestations of mind ; and due allowance 
should be made for this influence. 

XVI. Nevertheless, as mind is supreme, and body 
subordinate ; and as the will is that function through 
which mind and body are to be governed, man 
continues responsible for all his actions, thoughts, 
and feelings ; and his physical temperament is 
never to be admitted as a ground of exemption, 
from certain moral obligations which remain inde- 
structible, always the same, and invariably opera- 
tive. 

XVII. The whole of the foregoing discussion 
must be reviewed in order to form a just concep- 
tion of the relative and reciprocal influence of mind 
and matter. 



THE END- 



LONDON : 

PRINTED BY G. J. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRANG. 



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021 075 242 



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